Simply Begin
by Lecanis
Summary: The promised Prequel to Hiding and the Gossip Game, though you don't have to read those to understand this one. It's a young Genma falling for a young Iruka. :
1. Prelude: LongAwaited Introduction

Prelude: Long-Awaited Introduction

"So, I think I made a new friend today," remarked a slight teenaged boy, leaning back on a tree branch where he was perched.

"Oh?" asked his companion, a young man who was only a couple of years older but had a sturdier frame. He raised one light brown eyebrow. "What kind of friend?"

"Not that kind, Rai! He's too young, for one thing. Just out of the Academy in fact, I think he's eleven. He's a funny kid though, likes to play pranks. I caught him today at the Hokage's office, laying some kind of strange trap. You should have seen it… Sandaime acted like it was a pretty regular occurrence too, for all that he tried to act annoyed."

"Huh, that's kind of interesting, I guess," admitted Raidou. "So why is this kid your new friend if you caught him in the act?"

The smaller boy shrugged, pulling a long thin needle from his vest and playing with it. "He was pretty cool about the whole thing. I stopped him because I had no way of knowing it was a prank and not something dangerous, and he realized that. We talked for a bit, about his trap, because it was really a nice design. His name's Umino, and he's got a cute scar on his nose, you've probably seen him around."

Raidou shrugged. Scars weren't that strange in a village full of ninja, though so far both he and Genma had managed to avoid any major ones. Then again, they had only been out of the Academy a few years themselves, and were still Chuunin. "I don't know. Name doesn't ring a bell, but then I don't pay much attention to kids. Except Hatake perhaps, but that's just because he outranks us already."

Genma shrugged again, still playing with the senbon thoughtfully. "Hatake's definitely in his own class. This kid, though, it's not that he's that much of a ninja. It's just… he's something else. And he has this smile… you should see, he's sad about so many things in his life, but he smiles so brilliantly." Sticking the senbon in his mouth, he suddenly pushed off the tree limb with a burst of chakra, flying up into the sky for an exhilarating moment before catching himself on the exact limb his friend Raidou was sitting on. "Come on, let's go find some fun," he said to Raidou, before letting go and falling the rest of the way to the ground.

Raidou laughed and followed his rambunctious friend, as he had been doing for as long as he could remember already.

A few weeks passed before Genma mentioned the boy again. "So, wanna hear what Iruka did the other day?" he asked Raidou. They were on the way back from a mission, and Raidou would really prefer silence, because their team member Aoba had spoken enough for all of them on this mission. But Raidou merely nodded, because Genma was his best friend. So Genma continued. "He and his teammates strung their Jounin-sensei up from the ceiling in the mission room with a trap after he bailed 

on them during a particularly annoying mission. Took the guy forever to get down, and no one was willing to help him because the Genin kept going on and on about 'useless sensei deserted them in their time of need' and such. I walked in on the mess turning in a report, and it was a riot."

"That's very clever," said Raidou with a nod. "I have to meet this kid someday."

Genma shrugged. "Yeah, I always seem to wind up hanging out with him when you're not around. Maybe when we get back we can all do something."

They didn't wind up "doing something" until almost a year later, and by that time Raidou was quite tired of hearing about his best friend's other friend. He had to admit, however, when the tan boy with the facial scar strolled by him wearing a backwards bandana hitae-ate and holding a senbon in his mouth, he was kind of intrigued. "Hey, Iruka-kun!" he called out, trying to get the kid's attention. The kid just kept walking, and Raidou chased after him, finally grabbing him and spinning around. "Hey, you're Genma's friend Iruka, right?"

The boy shook his head. "How can I be my own friend? And who's Iruka?"

Raidou's mouth fell open. "Have you ever heard the word 'henge', kid? Because if you're really going to try to impersonate Genma, for whatever reason, you're going to need to learn how to do one."

A low laugh came from behind Raidou, and he spun on his heel to find the real Genma standing there, missing his hitae-ate and senbon. He looked younger without the items, somehow, and Raidou was struck with a memory of their Academy days. "It's the new game, apparently. Silly boy won't answer to his own name when he's doing it." Genma reached out a long hand and swiped the bandana off Iruka's head, then plucked the senbon from his mouth, carefully so as not to hurt the kid with it. "Game's up, little guy. I want to introduce you to my friend." He made formal introductions, which seemed ridiculous considering the situation.

Iruka bowed formally, and smiled up at Raidou. "Nice to finally meet you, Raidou. I've heard tons about you. Oh, and by the way," with this the smile turned into a definite trickster's grin, and then Iruka flashed through hand-seals, doing a perfect henge of Genma. "I can be Gen-chan anytime I want, but it's more fun to play it the other way."

Raidou laughed, shaking his head. "Genma was right, you sure are something , kid," he said. Any animosity he had felt over having to hear Genma talk about Iruka for the past year melted away, because, after all he was just a kid. And Raidou had a feeling he was going to be a permanent part of their little group, so he might as well get used to him. And learn to sleep with one eye open, if the stories Genma told were any indication.


	2. On Innocence

Note: In case you can't figure it out from the text, four years or so pass between Prelude and Chapter 1.

Chapter 1: On Innocence

A group of young shinobi lounged on the grass by the training ground, some looking bored and others exhausted from recent sparring matches. They all wore casual training clothing, and there was no sign of rank or status to be found among them. The three youngest of the group, Hagane Kotetsu, Kamizuke Izumo, and Umino Iruka, were sitting in a circle as if plotting something, and the oldest of the group, Yamashiro Aoba, was watching them with great suspicion. Anything involving Iruka was dangerous, he had learned, but anything involving Iruka, Kotetsu, and Izumo was downright deadly. He decided to play it safe, waved to his friends Genma and Raidou, and bolted.

Iruka laughed out loud. "Why is your friend so scared of me, Gen-chan?"

Genma laughed, stretching lazily in the sunlight and running a hand through his brown hair. "I don't know, Ruka-kun, might have something to do with the fact that you sealed his mouth shut with a chakra tag last week and didn't take it off until the Hokage threatened to have you thrown in jail?"

The teenaged boy rolled his eyes and pulled out his ponytail holder, letting his hair fall down around his face. "He asked for that, with all his prattling on during a mission! How do you work with that guy all the time, Gen-chan?" He lifted himself from his spot on the grass, leaving behind Kotetsu and Izumo to go flop down next to Genma and rest his head on his leg.

"Stop calling me Gen-chan! I am older than you, I outrank you, and I am NOT a girl!" Genma growled. He was going to be turning twenty this summer, and while he'd never particularly liked Iruka calling him Gen-chan, it was starting to irk him even more. He glared down at the teen, but the fact that the adorable scar-nosed boy had taken his hair down was his undoing. He sighed and ran a hand through the dark hair spreading across his leg, because seeing Iruka with his hair down was a rare treat. Iruka grinned, and Genma cursed inwardly, knowing the boy was playing him again.

"Come on, Ruka, we have work to do," he said suddenly, pushing his younger friend off of him. Raidou looked at the two skeptically, but he'd come to realize they were never going to be able to explain what this "work" was, and just let it go.

Iruka groaned. "Work, work, work. I don't want to work, I want to play. Tetsu and Zumo don't even have anything they have to do today, and they're going to have fun, and I have to go work." He pouted in their direction, and Izumo and Kotetsu laughed, but Izumo's eyes darted to Genma quickly before settling back on his friend. He leaned over and whispered to Kotetsu, who also looked, and the two fell on each other in a fit of laughter.

Genma shook his head. He had never understood the intricacies of the Kotetsu-Izumo-Iruka friendship, and was fairly sure he never would. Even though they tended to hang out together over the past few years since he'd been friends with Iruka, the two groups of Iruka's friends still seemed rather separate. It was an odd phenomenon, he thought, but then he realized that Iruka was the binding link between many people here in Konoha, if you looked at it just right.

Iruka elbowed him, and said, "Hey, lazybones, get moving! You just told me we had to work!" He was pulling his hair back up into a ponytail as he spoke. Genma sighed and stood, following his younger friend as they went off to collect gossip, wondering how much longer this particular secret mission from the Hokage was going to last. Surely soon someone would see through their ruse, realize that there must be some reason the two young shinobi were so intent on knowing everything about everyone, but so far Genma had gotten a reputation as a slacker and Iruka had gotten a reputation as, well, Iruka. The troublemaker, the prankster, but also a sweet boy who cared for others. It wasn't fair, thought Genma vaguely, but the thought vanished into thin air quickly.

They spent an hour or so at the mission room, since it was still early, and then moved on to a popular club after that. The music was loud, but the two young shinobi were getting used to eavesdropping even in such places. Genma worked the crowd, flirting and dancing, but Iruka sat quietly and just _listened_. He had tried Genma's approach in the past, but while it was fun, it didn't feel natural to him, and he found that they actually gathered more information with this double approach.

It was getting late when Genma came up and collapsed in the chair across from Iruka. Iruka smiled at him, and said, "You about ready to go write up the reports?" Genma nodded, looking a little partied out. Iruka's grin widened. "Got enough in you for a dance with me?"

Genma looked at his friend through half-lidded eyes, and Iruka suddenly felt as if he were being stabbed with the sharp object that Genma insisted on carrying around in his mouth all the time. "You've never asked me to dance before," Genma said suspiciously.

Iruka laughed, realizing that his reputation as a prankster was working against him. "No tricks, Gen-chan. You look like you're having fun, even though you're working, but it wasn't any fun for me when I tried dancing and partying with other people. I just wondered if it would feel any better if it was with you."

Genma shrugged, then reached out a hand to Iruka. Iruka took it, and let Genma pull him out onto the dance floor. The beat was hard and heavy, and his body moved to it with little effort on his part. He was a little surprised when Genma put his arms around him and pressed his body against Iruka's, but merely smiled up at him. Iruka could feel his heart pounding to the beat, and the beat and the feel of Genma's body against his own started to feel like one and the same. One song became another, and then another, and still they danced, until finally Genma dragged him off the floor and out into the night.

"I knew it," Iruka said softly, "It's only fun with you."

Genma shook his head and laughed. "Careful, boy, you're going to make me think you have a crush on me or something. Don't go getting any ideas over a little dancing! Now let's go do those reports," he said, and together they threaded their way through the streets to Genma's house, where they sat going over all the rumors they had heard that evening, preparing the reports for the Hokage and to update their files. Iruka found himself collapsing on the floor, exhausted, and Genma smiled down at him.

"Come on, Ruka-kun, you can sleep with me tonight," he said, picking the boy up and carrying him through the house to his bedroom. He could have sworn something in Iruka's dark eyes sparked at his words, but he shrugged it off and deposited the boy in his bed, then joined him. He pulled Iruka's ponytail out to make him more comfortable, but left him dressed, and watched as he slipped into the sleep of the innocent.

It was wrong, thought Genma, to think Iruka innocent. For all his kindness and his pranks, some of his early missions had gone rather wrong, and he had seen and done things as a Genin that he shouldn't have had to be involved with. He had just now passed the Chuunin exams, finally, but it had been a fake marker for him, since Sandaime had trusted him with this intelligence mission already, and by all rights it should have been S-ranked or some such. Genma brushed a strand of hair out of his not-so-innocent friend's face, and then lay down and drifted off to sleep himself, to dream of the multifaceted boy that was Umino Iruka.


	3. Intrusions

Note: A reviewer brought up a point about how this fic was going to line up with Hiding, and I wanted to make a note about it. I reread Hiding and the Gossip Game before I started this fic the first time, and again today before writing this chapter, and I plan to make it line up with Hiding completely. So, for AOH, on the kiss thing: In "The Gossip Game" Iruka says that Genma kissed him, and only him, before that time he kissed Raidou… but in Genma's flashback in "Hiding", it's pointed out that Genma was more experienced than Iruka sexually when they got together… even when I wrote it then, I had a plan for the fact that those things don't line up. I won't tell more for fear of spoiling my plot, but it will be explained. Oh, and for AOH again, I can't see the picture! pouts

Chapter 2: Intrusions

Genma woke up alone, and his bed felt cool, as if his companion had been gone for some time. There was a certain lingering scent though, a spicy sweetness that he knew to be Iruka. The sunlight spilling in the windows hurt Genma's eyes, and he wanted to go back to sleep, but a clattering in another room alerted him that his guest wasn't gone after all, so he stood slowly and wandered out into the hallway, clad only in a pair of dark brown pajama pants.

"Iruka?" he called out, wondering what kind of mischief his young friend was up to. He shuddered at the thought of how much destruction an unsupervised Umino Iruka could have caused in the amount of time he'd been sleeping.

Iruka popped his head around the corner into the hallway from another one of the bedrooms. "Gen-chan, you're up! I made coffee and stuff, but I didn't want to bother you, so I was just exploring a little."

Genma groaned and rubbed his temples. "Iruka, you've been in my house plenty of times."

"Well, yes, but we've always been working, or had lots of people with us. I've never really had a chance to explore," Iruka replied. The boy slipped around the doorframe to stand in the hallway in front of Genma, holding up both hands in front of him. "I solemnly swear that I have not stolen, bugged, trapped, or pranked anything."

Genma had to laugh at the picture, his young friend again looking so innocent, his hair wet and wearing a pair of Genma's sweatpants and a t-shirt that he apparently considered "borrowed without permission" rather than stolen. That thought gave Genma pause, because he realized those clothes had been in a dresser rather close to his bed, yet Iruka had managed to rummage through it without waking him. He reached out and pulled Iruka into a one-armed hug. "Never mind, kid, you know I trust you. More than I should, probably. Still, you make awfully free with other people's homes. Not the safest tendency around shinobi, who are more likely than not to have things trapped!"

Iruka grinned up at Genma, leaning into the hug. "Oh, I found some of your traps, but they didn't seem too scary. Maybe I'm missing some finer ones somewhere, but otherwise I could help you devise some replacements…?"

Genma growled, and pushed Iruka away from him. "It's too damn early in the morning to have some upstart Chuunin questioning my traps, kiddo. You want to amuse yourself wandering around my house, fine. Just leave me alone until I get a shower, and coffee, and then we'll see about plans for today's work, okay?" He couldn't help but see the hurt that flitted across the younger boy's face, but Iruka merely nodded and bounced off in the direction of the living room.

Half an hour later, a much more personable Genma walked into his living room to find his friend lounging on the floor on cushions, idly playing with a notebook and pencil without really seeming to be writing. "What are you doing, Ruka?" he asked quietly, moving some cushions around with a foot before flopping down next to him.

The boy scrunched up his nose, then put the pencil inside the notebook and turned toward Genma. "I was thinking of starting a journal, but I'm not coming up with much to write. I've been carrying this notebook around in my vest for days, and it's still mostly empty."

Genma wondered for a moment why Iruka would want to start a journal anyway, but he wasn't really going to tackle that one yet. "Maybe it's the notebook. Maybe you should get a proper journal, one of those nice leather-bound ones, and then you'll be more inspired to write." Iruka looked at him suspiciously, and Genma just shrugged. "I'm just trying to think what would help me if I were the one doing it. You know how I have that one specific room where I think best, even though I have this whole big house to live in. And if I buy the journal for you today, when we go out, then it'll be even more incentive, because then your close friend spent their hard-earned money on you, and you'd better as hell make use of it."

This brought a laugh from the younger boy, who turned over so that he could lay his head on Genma's back. It was an odd gesture, because Genma couldn't see his face anymore, and when Iruka spoke again the words seem to drift down to Genma. "You have an answer for everything, Gen-chan," came the soft voice.

Something in that voice made Genma want to shiver, but he suppressed it. "Don't read too much into anything I say, Iruka… sometimes I have real insight, but most of the time I'm just trying to sound smart." The weight on his back shifted but didn't go away, and Genma just lay there, wondering if the comfortable acceptance of touch between the two friends had crossed a line somewhere, and if so, how he was going to fix it.

Finally, it was Iruka who pulled away, sitting up abruptly. "Sorry, Gen-chan, I'm a little weird today. Thanks for letting me stay last night. So what were those plans for the day anyway?"

Genma wound up not buying the journal for Iruka that day, because the mission room was swarming with gossip, and then Iruka wound up being sent on a mission anyway. Genma finally did buy it a week later, and held onto it for another week before he saw his friend again. Genma woke in the middle of the night to the boy knocking on his bedroom window, and when he opened it, his friend stumbled in looking exhausted and not a little bit bloody.

"Shouldn't you have gone to the hospital? Or reported in?" Genma asked, bolting from his bed to hook an arm under his friend.

Iruka shook his head. "Already reported, and I'm not really injured enough for the hospital. I was with Zumo and Tetsu, but they wanted to go out for _drinks_, the idiots."

Genma guided Iruka to the bed and set him down, not caring what kind of mess he was causing. He then stood and found the light, running his hand nervously through his fine hair. The teenager on his bed let himself be inspected for injuries, then simply sat there looking up at Genma for a long moment. When Genma didn't say anything, Iruka reached up a hand as if to pull his ponytail holder out, and Genma's lighter-skinned hand shot out to stop the motion.

"You always do that when you want something from me, Ruka," he said, cross. "If you came here in the middle of the night after your mission before you want to be with a friend, then that's fine, you don't have to use any tricks on me." He let go of Iruka's hand, then wandered over to the dresser to pick up the package he'd been waiting to give him, tossing it onto the bed next to the boy. "That's your journal. I didn't forget it."

Iruka looked up at him wide-eyed, and brought his hand down to stroke the package without opening it. "Thank you. The hair thing, it's… I just noticed you like it down…"

Genma laughed. "You're very pretty with your hair down, I'll admit. I just don't want to feel like you're manipulating me, that's all." He thought for a moment, and then walked over to the bed and reached out to pull out the ponytail himself, running his hands through the dark locks once he'd freed them. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and get you some rest."

Iruka looked at the package on the bed longingly, then at his dirty hands. "Yeah, I should get cleaned up," he admitted.


	4. Traps

Note: So, the kiss explanation. I planned that from the beginning when I was writing "Hiding", since I've had this story in my head since about halfway through that one. :P

Chapter 3: Traps

Iruka wasn't being stealthy this time as he mucked around Genma's house in the morning, Genma noted. In fact, he was at that moment stomping around the other shinobi's kitchen, and after about an hour of it Genma sighed and heaved himself out of bed. He went straight to the shower, noticing as he entered the bathroom that Iruka had apparently done some cleaning this morning, since last night they had left blood and dirt everywhere cleaning Iruka up.

Genma still wasn't sure what to make of the fact that the Chuunin had come through his window in the middle of the night. It had never happened before, and Iruka had been on worse missions than the one he described to Genma the night before. Routine surveillance that had gone a little wonky, nothing major, a C that had become maybe an A. Nothing he should have needed comforting for, and even if he had, he wouldn't have come to Genma's.

Of course, things seemed to have been changing a lot between them recently, the more Genma thought about it. They had always been comfortable together, but now Genma was starting to be uncomfortable sometimes, wondering what exactly was going on in his young friend's mind.

It was too much work, Genma realized, too much like the work they did everyday anyway, trying to figure out what people were hiding. Sighing, he hurried through his shower and dressed in casual clothing, then headed into the kitchen to see what all the stomping had been about. The sight that he found there was quite startling: coils of wire and various weapons scattered around, a stack of strangely-inscribed tags, and in the middle of the mess, a very determined-looking young man wearing only a pair of worn-out blue sweatpants, rubbing one finger over the scar across his nose while the other hand reached for a tag. "What exactly are you doing to my kitchen, Iruka?"

Iruka blushed deeply. "It's a gift, sort of," he said. "I know you said your traps didn't need any work, but…"

Genma was intrigued at this point. "Yeah, I haven't updated my traps since I was younger than you. What kind of contraption is this, though?"

Iruka pointed to the wire. "I set up a few standard wire traps, in here at least, and a few more dangerous weapon ones, all fairly standard stuff. But my thought was, I came up with this special chakra tag…" he paused, and scrunched up his nose in a way that made Genma want to hug him. Too cute. "I tried them out at my place already actually, so I'm pretty sure about them, but it's not like anyone really comes to my place. What it does is make all the traps chakra-sensitive, so that they can be turned on and off by a chakra pulse, but only if they recognize the pulse. I was going to take it a step further here and make it so you could add people to the system, kind of the same idea as giving someone your key. I might even link it to keys, actually, so you can put a key in the physical lock, emit a chakra pulse, and make yourself safe from the traps at the same time."

"Okay…" said Genma. Iruka looked disappointed with that reaction, so he smiled openly. "I think I get it, but you're talking over my head a little here, kid. Remember, traps aren't really my thing. And these tags you use sound like nothing I've really heard of before."

Iruka nodded. "I originally modified them for a prank, but I'm not so much in the pranking business most of the time now. Unless someone really annoys me, or just to tease the Hokage. I have several different ones. Actually, I was going to ask you for help with one idea I have, involving poisons, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I wasn't sure you'd be interested." The boy looked as if he might squirm, and Genma didn't think he'd ever seen Iruka look this nervous.

"I'd love to help you. And as for the traps, feel free to do whatever you want. Just let me know what I need to do." He paused, thinking about Iruka's comment about no one coming to his place. "Hey, can I come over and see what you did with your place?"

To his surprise, his friend shook his head, and a dark look came over his face. "I don't like my place. It's empty, and I don't like what that says about me. You don't need to see it."

Genma carefully moved things out of his way so that he could sit next to Iruka, and then reached out to put an arm around him. "You know, you're welcome here any time you want. I have plenty of space. If your home is empty, why not find a new one?"

Iruka's eyes grew wide, and he looked up at Genma with awe. "You mean it?"

"Why not? You're my friend, and I want you to be happy."

"Not today, but soon," replied Iruka. "But… Gen-chan, if I live here all the time, I don't have an excuse to climb into your bed…"

Genma pulled back and looked at Iruka, but his friend's face didn't give much away. He looked thoughtful, if anything. "Umm, kiddo… did you just say what I think you just said?"

Iruka blushed slightly, but nodded. He hadn't put his hair up, and when he tipped his head, it slid into a curtain around his face. "Sorry, Gen-chan, I probably shouldn't have said that." He shrugged.

Genma sighed, sitting back on his heels. "So, that's how it is? I was wondering if a line was crossed somewhere and I didn't see it when it happened, but I didn't know you had intentionally looked for an excuse to climb into my bed. Are you disappointed that you've slept there twice now and I haven't touched you?" His voice sounded sad to him, and perhaps a little bitter, though he hadn't intended it to.

Iruka merely smiled back at him. "No. I would have been happy if you did, but surprised as well." He leaned forward as if he might kiss Genma, and Genma jumped back. Iruka sighed. "Well, that pretty much clears up where that stands." His mouth wound up engaged in a pout instead.

Genma sat down beside Iruka again, and put his arm around him again, ignoring the surprise his action caused. His mind was spinning, but he knew this was some dangerous ground, and he was determined to find a foothold. "Ruka, I'm lost here. Have you been actively trying to get my attention and I've missed it somehow?"

Iruka laughed at that, a long and loud laugh that didn't sound quite right coming from him. "Let's see, Gen-chan… I've been following you around for years now, I impersonate you, and last night I missed a perfectly good mission cool-down with my two old best friends in hopes of seeing you instead. What do you think?"

Genma couldn't think of what to say, and Iruka took advantage of his hesitation to try for a kiss again. Genma let him, feeling the strength in the arms that pulled him closer, and the softness in the lips that brushed his, more innocently and chastely than he was expecting. He found himself pressing back ever-so-slightly against those warm soft lips, and it was Iruka who pulled back from the kiss. "I've never been kissed like that before," Genma found himself saying. He paused for a minute. "Never like it was something other than a prelude to sex, I mean."

Iruka smiled up at him, and this time it was the prankster's grin. "I have your first real kiss then, and on the power of that I'll steal your heart to follow it." Then he wrenched himself from Genma's arms and picked up his stack of tags. "Now, about these traps…"

Genma found himself sitting in the middle of his own kitchen floor, watching the boy bounce around as if nothing had happened, wondering at the ability to adapt that Iruka had. It was one of the things that had drawn Genma to him in the first place, he realized, that ingenuity and cleverness, and now it looked like it was going to be his undoing.


	5. Capture

Chapter 4: Capture

Iruka's home was quiet, as always. He lay back on his bed with his hands behind his head, staring up at his ceiling as if it might hold some answers. On his nightstand there was a leather journal, not only pretty but also personally engraved, with the words "Simply Begin" on the front. It was a very Genma touch, that, and Iruka smiled every time he looked at it. Trust Genma to turn something small into something big.

Genma. There was the heart of his problems, and the reason why he wasn't sleeping, thought Iruka. The man was more complicated than most people seemed to think. Sure, even before Iruka's big mouth had gotten them stuck running around collecting gossip, Shiranui Genma had not been the most motivated of young men. However, he was also fiercely loyal, insightful, and often even energetic given the right circumstances. Besides which, Iruka had watched him work to reach his Special Jounin rank, effort a lot of people didn't take into consideration when they made negative assessments of him. Genma wasn't as easy as he seemed, though Iruka figured he wouldn't like him so much if he was.

Just yesterday Genma had put his arm around Iruka and pulled him close, skin to skin, even after Iruka had let his intentions be known. And Iruka had gotten a kiss. A kiss! He was more excited about these things than he would have been if Genma had favored him the kind of quick tumble that he knew the young man tended to engage in, truth be told, because Iruka wasn't going to settle for that. He shook his head, thinking of this, because he didn't know what to make of Genma's tone of voice when he'd mentioned the fact Iruka had slept in his bed untouched. The bitterness there… did it mean that Genma wished he had taken advantage of the situation, or that he was upset Iruka wanted it from him at all?

He'd find Genma in the morning, he figured. They had the day free, but surely Genma would be at one of the usual places, and Iruka would manage to find a way to tag along with him. Maybe he'd even go the roundabout way and find Raidou first, because if he got permission from Raidou to join whatever the day's plans were, then surely Genma wouldn't say anything. Satisfied, Iruka finally rolled over and went to sleep.

The brawny young man with spiked hair walked for almost ten minutes without comment on the shadow. He had places to be, apparently, because he walked quickly and surely across Konoha. When he reached the road that went down by his favorite training ground's though, he turned and loomed over the boy following him. "What do you want, kid!?"

Iruka smiled up at the big man, batting his eyelashes. "I want to spend the day with you!"

Raidou smacked the teenager lightly on the head. "Why?"

Iruka took one look at Raidou's earnest face and realized honesty would probably serve him best. "Because what I want is wherever you're going, always."

Raidou's narrow eyes widened a bit, and for a moment Iruka saw a pain there he thought he recognized. Then it was gone, to be replaced by a wide smile. "Of course he is." He looked Iruka over, noting the Chuunin was out of uniform, and asked, "Do you have any of your gear on you?"

Iruka nodded, and started pulling things out from hidden pockets, showing there was a lot more hidden in the wide-legged pants, t-shirt, and light jacket than Raidou would have thought possible. Raidou laughed, and took in the t-shirt of the day. It had a box of candy on it, overlaid with a skull-and-crossbones symbol. "'Deadly Sweet,'" he read aloud. "You are indeed that. Poor Genma." He paused, thinking. "I'm heading a team today for whichever game we're playing, so I'll just invite you."

"We're playing a game?" Iruka asked skeptically, falling into step with Raidou. "Rai, aren't you guys a little old for games?"

Raidou stuck his tongue out at the boy. "Aren't you a little young to be such a stick-in-the-mud! I bet you're going to become an Academy teacher in a couple years, aren't you?"

Iruka grimaced. "Not on my life!" And the two friends went laughing on their way.

At the training ground, an assortment of figures waited. Some of them wore ANBU masks, others jounin uniforms, and still others casual clothing. Iruka barely saw them, though, because his eyes immediately sought and found the lithe young man in the white t-shirt and beige training pants with the senbon sticking out of his mouth, his hazel eyes dancing as he easily flipped back and forth from one training post to another. Iruka couldn't take his eyes off him, and so he got the full effect when Genma turned and his expression turned to shock. "Who invited that kid here to get killed?"

Raidou raised his hand. "He's on my team, Gen. If you don't like it, don't be on my team."

Genma flipped off the post and strode over to them. "You conniving little…"

His reaction was cut off by a cold voice coming from behind an ANBU mask. "Namiashi says he can play, and he's leading a team. He's not much younger than me, anyway, even if he is just a Chuunin, and from his reputation, I doubt we'll kill him. You play, or you don't play, Shiranui."

All eyes turned at once to the slight form wearing the Hound mask, and Genma simply nodded, not willing to press the issue. He still had doubts, especially when the game of the day was named to be one of the more dangerous ones the young shinobi played, but he said nothing, even when he was assigned to an opposing team.

Genma needn't have worried. Iruka's chakra reserves weren't anything spectacular, but already his control was amazing. And as soon as the game of Capture the Flag (Lethal Style) started, the young man was pulling out more of those strange tags, along with scrolls full of wire traps and various tricks. Raidou's team not only came out victorious, Iruka captured three of the six flags they got for the win (out of ten total points).

When the game was over, Iruka flopped to the ground exhausted. He had wanted to discard his jacket, but since it held most of his stuff, he couldn't really do it. He did so now, and lay panting on the grass. "Deadly sweet indeed," Raidou repeated with a low laugh, and then turned to walk away with a few of the players who were going out for a drink. Iruka saw an ANBU mask turn to look down at him, and heard, "Well played, sweet boy," before he closed his eyes.

"You shouldn't really take a nap out here," came the familiar voice, followed by a thump as the speaker joined him on the ground.

"I figured you'd go with them, Gen-chan," said Iruka without opening his eyes.

"Didn't you come here to see me?" came the reply, and a weight settled on Iruka's torso. He did open his eyes at that, and was rewarded by the sight of Genma's heavy-lidded eyes directed at him, his uncovered light brown hair splayed across Iruka's body, his own lithe form sprawled bonelessly perpendicular to Iruka's own.

"What makes you think that?" asked Iruka, but the time it took him to find his voice was probably a good enough answer, he figured. Genma must have thought so too, because he didn't answer the question.

"You were awesome. I underestimated you," Genma admitted.

Iruka shook his head. "They'd kill me in a real fight. Not only don't I really have the stamina, those tricks I use only work in certain situations. Not only that, but one well-placed blow would have taken me out, but no one was really willing to risk killing me to win the game. I felt people pulling punches more than once, and there was a senbon that could have killed me had it struck, but…"

Genma laughed, then sobered. "Yeah, I deflected my own senbon once I realized how seriously I'd thrown it. Still, you have some very interesting tactics." He paused. "In more ways than one, Ruka. I wouldn't have invited you to play, so you got Raidou to do it."

Iruka shrugged the best he could from his position. "I didn't even know where he was going, honestly, just figured you'd be there. Where Raidou is, Genma is, typically." He wondered if his voice sounded as jealous as he felt saying that.

Another laugh from Genma, and then the weight disappeared as Genma launched himself to his feet. "Come on, Ruka-kun, show me your place."

"I said I didn't want to!" Iruka argued.

Genma shrugged. "What does it matter now? You're still moving, aren't you? Just humor me."

Sighing, Iruka reached out a hand, and Genma took it, helping the boy to his feet. There was a look of challenge in Genma's eyes, and Iruka wondered if perhaps he knew what he was asking, or if maybe this was some kind of punishment for forcing his way into Genma's day off. Either way, he doubted this was going to be a fun visit. He squared his shoulders and headed off in the direction of his house, smiling his best smile.

Iruka's house wasn't empty, not to the naked eye. It was in fact the home where he had lived with his parents, and there were things everywhere. Nice furniture, decorations… it was pretty much the opposite of empty. Iruka's mother had obviously had a very feminine touch, and it looked like a very homey place.

One step into the house had Genma convinced that Iruka had to move, however. Nothing that was obviously Iruka's existed anywhere except the boy's bedroom, showing that he hadn't really taken over the house, despite the fact that he had lived there alone for several years now. Even in the kitchen, which he obviously used, he kept things carefully put away in places that didn't seem like Iruka's style of organization. In fact, except for the traps Iruka showed him, nothing seemed to have been organized or created by Iruka.

"You're moving today," Genma proclaimed, looking around. "Do you want to keep this place or sell it?"

Iruka shrugged. "I hadn't even thought about it yet. Can I decide later?" Genma nodded. "I don't want to move in with you yet," Iruka said softly.

Genma shook his head. "Don't care. You're moving. Come on, help me get your stuff, or I'll do it myself."

Iruka was smiling brightly, standing there in the middle of the "empty" living room, and Genma's heart ached for him suddenly. He crossed the space between them and took the boy into his arms, holding him close. "Please, Iruka, just come with me. I know things are strange between us right now, but I don't want you to stay here. It is indeed empty."

"I want to buy a camera," Iruka said suddenly, his voice muffled by Genma's shirt because Genma was still holding him. "I want to take pictures of all our friends, so I can remember their faces. That's why I wanted the journal, too, to remember things. We're all going to die one day, you know? I don't mean old and fat and lazy in our beds, either."

Genma rested his chin on top of Iruka's head. "I'll buy you a camera. And another journal when you finish that one, and another after that. And as many silly t-shirts with strange sayings on them as you want."

Iruka pulled away and smiled up at Genma, a real smile this time. "Come on, then, let's get going."


	6. Drunk

Chapter 5: Drunk

"I want this one," said Iruka, pointing to the room across from Genma's own. Genma merely nodded and shouldered open the door, dropping the bags he carried on the floor inside the room. He should have known Iruka would choose this room, not only because it was closest to his, but also because it was in the corner of the house, and had more windows than any of the others. It was a very sunny room, and Iruka loved to stretch out in the sunlight more than anyone Genma knew.

Iruka hadn't brought much with him. Clothing and weapons mostly. There were a few books, a few scrolls, and of course his various prankster's tools. Still, it amounted to very little for sixteen years of life, and Genma was surprised that the boy had left behind pretty much everything involving his family.

"I don't want to unpack yet," Iruka remarked, breaking into Genma's thoughts. "Let's go back out for a bit first, maybe get something to eat." Genma merely nodded again, letting his friend have his way, because he still felt a little guilty for pushing him to face his issues earlier.

So they went outside into the warm air again, but they hadn't quite made up their minds where to find food when they were interrupted by two pairs of hands roughly grabbing hold of Iruka and dragging him away. "Hey!" yelled Genma, turning to stop the kidnappers, but stopped short when he realized he was facing Iruka's friends Kotetsu and Izumo. Kotetsu was holding an improbably large mace-type weapon, and it looked very awkward in the hands of the fourteen-year-old boy. His other hand was clamped firmly on Iruka's shoulder, and both Izumo's arms were around Iruka's waist.

"This one's ours for a bit," Kotetsu said simply.

"It's okay," said Iruka, before Genma could let fly the poisoned senbon gripped in his teeth. "They're just being dramatic. I'll see you later, Gen-chan." And with that, the odd trio was off down the street, Kotetsu still somehow brandishing the strange weapon while helping to carry Iruka. Genma just stood and stared for a long moment, and then came to a realization… living with Iruka meant… those two weirdoes would likely be visiting… regularly! He hung his head and walked home alone, suddenly not hungry anymore.

It was several hours later when the three young Chuunin stumbled through Genma's front door, this time laden with packages of food and drink. "We have to give Iruka a housewarming, since he moved in!" the smallest of the boys, Izumo, proclaimed brightly. His hair fell over one eye in a way that made him look very young, and Genma for a moment felt an intense urge to offer him candy. Or strangle him. He wasn't sure which.

"No." Genma said simply, but the boys were already poking their noses into various rooms, and pulling things out of the bags they had been carrying. When Genma noted that both beer and hard liquor were among those things, he decided he needed to protest loudly. "I don't care whose friends you are, fourteen-year-old boys are not getting drunk in my house. I remember what a mess I was at your age, and I won't have it on my carpets, on my furniture, or anywhere else. OUT!"

Kotetsu and Izumo merely looked at Iruka, and the synchronicity of the movement made them seem oddly like one person. Iruka looked at each of them in turn, and then turned to look at Genma. His dark eyes grew very wide, and he said softly, "Come on, guys, he means it. I guess we're not welcome here after all."

Genma thought he was being manipulated again at first, and then realized Iruka's face bore that same smile it always did when his life sucked most, and swore softly. "Ruka, no, wait. I didn't mean it that way. I just didn't realize when I invited you that your friends would be coming over. Come on, let's have a housewarming!"

This was how, a few hours hours later, he wound up with two very drunk Chuunin sprawling around his living room floor, and a third attempting to crawl into his skin. Iruka had crawled onto the couch with him early on into the festivities, but it was only after several drinks that it started to feel like there wasn't any air in the room, or any space left between them. After the fifth or so time he had to pull Iruka's hands out of his clothing, Genma finally gave up and simply stood, dumping the boy onto the floor. "I'm going to bed. Clean up tonight or in the morning, as long as you do it." Then he was in his bedroom blessedly alone.

The other three sat looking at each other for a moment after the owner of the house abandoned them, and then Iruka stood up shakily. "Might as well go to bed too. You two staying?"

The other two nodded, in unison. The three friends helped each other into Iruka's bedroom and collapsed on his thankfully spacious bed, where Kotetsu and Izumo each took up a spot on one side of Iruka, linking hands across him. He smiled down at their linked hands, falling asleep for the first time in his new home between his old friends, and thinking perhaps he was lucky they had kidnapped him after all. Otherwise, he would have spent the night wishing he could have slept in Genma's bed, or worse, made a fool of himself trying to arrange it, so his friends had likely done him a huge favor. And knowing Tetsu and Zumo, they had known exactly what they were doing.

He was going to kill them. It was as simple as that. Iruka had woken with a pounding headache, to a room far too full of sunlight. His two friends had still been in his bed, which had been good, because it meant at least they hadn't abandoned him. But it took a full two minutes for Iruka to realize not only that he had a horrible hangover, but also that he had spent the latter part of the evening very drunkenly molesting Genma. So much for Kotetsu and Izumo's presence somehow keeping him from embarrassing himself. At least no one had thrown up on Genma's fancy décor, despite the mixing of alcohols, but Iruka wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to look Genma in the face today.

Or Izumo, he decided, realizing as he became more fully awake that at the moment Izumo was lying with his leg pressed against Iruka's very prominent hard-on. Then he realized Izumo was awake, and leering. "Get off me, you pervert," Iruka groused, pushing his friend off the bed, which only resulted in laughter from both younger boys.

Morning did not go well. Kotetsu and Izumo cleaned up the mess they'd made, as promised, but Genma didn't emerge from his bedroom until almost noon, after the troublemakers had already left, still teasing Iruka about the show they'd gotten the previous evening. When he finally did emerge, he went straight to the bathroom, then came out fully dressed and in professional mode. "Come on, Iruka, we need to get to the mission room. If we don't have any missions today, then it's a full day of intel, and then probably some work tonight at the bars as well. We're getting behind with all this goofing around."

Iruka sighed, dropping his spoon into the bowl of cereal he wasn't having much luck at eating anyway. "Fine," he replied, jumping up and getting ready as quickly as possible. In his Chuunin uniform, with his hair up in it's usual ponytail, he felt a little more stable and normal at least. He followed Genma out of the house and off into the streets of Konoha, ready for a day of work.

It wasn't until later that evening that Genma said a word to him about anything personal. They were at one of the usual bars, and it was too dead to really be doing them any good gossip-wise. They'd done well at the mission room anyway, so it wasn't an issue, but Genma had seemed determined to work. He finally seemed to give up about 11 o'clock, and plopped himself down in the seat across from Iruka at his usual table.

"So, how big of a pain in my ass are your friends going to be?" Genma asked.

Iruka shrugged. "It might not seem so, but they were worried about me yesterday. It got around to them somehow that I played that game, for one thing, plus I've been strange in other ways to them lately. I doubt they'll hang around all the time, if that's what you're worried about."

"I was a little worried about that, yes." Genma paused, reached across the table to swipe Iruka's beer, and took a long sip of it. "You always that touchy-feely when you're drunk?" The words were casual, but his hazel eyes held a serious look.

Iruka could feel the blush spreading across his cheeks. "No. I apologize for that, I shouldn't drink."

Genma grinned and pushed the beer back across the table at the younger man. "I don't know, it was kind of funny. Maybe I should get you drunk more often."

Iruka blushed deeper. "Don't be mean…" He looked at the beer as if it would bite him, and pushed it back across the table at Genma.

Shrugging, Genma picked it up and chugged it, then fixed Iruka with a somber look. "You want to try something with me, you try it sober. I'm not going to play around with you drunk, you hear me?"

Iruka's eyes grew wide. He looked at Genma for a long moment, and started to speak, but Genma cut him off. "Come on, kid, let's go home and finish this conversation there, okay?" He stood and held out a hand to Iruka, who took it, and they made the walk back to his house in silence, hand in hand.

It wasn't until they were sitting side by side on the couch in the living room that Genma spoke. "So, what is it you want from me, anyway?" He took the senbon from his mouth and flipped it between his fingers.

Iruka watched his friend's nimble fingers manipulate the shiny metal object for a moment in silence, and then smiled up at him and replied in a jumble of words. "Everything. I don't know. Your heart, I told you. Your help with my poison tags. Your home, you've given me already. Your friendship, always, no matter what. Your kisses, your touch, your secrets, you. Gen-chan."

Genma squinted at his young friend. "You said you were sober, boy," he said teasingly.

"Drunk on you?" quipped Iruka with a giggle. His nose scrunched up again, that scar wrinkling just so, and Genma dropped the senbon, catching it just a second before it could plunge itself into anything vital. He carelessly sank it into his coffee table to get it out of the way, then pressed himself forward against Iruka and kissed him, hard.

Iruka responded immediately, eagerly, and Genma pressed forward more, pushing Iruka down with his weight, insistently deepening the kiss, letting his tongue slide against his friend's and then explore his mouth. Iruka sucked gently on his tongue, neither fighting for dominance nor submissively accepting the kiss. He dislodged Genma's bandana and tangled his hands in his hair, pulling him even closer. Genma let go suddenly, pulling away and standing in one smooth motion, ignoring the pull as Iruka's hands were yanked from his hair, leaving the younger man to shakily right himself on the couch and sit looking up at Genma. When Genma merely stood there, Iruka asked, "So, what is it you're offering, since you asked what I wanted?"

Genma shrugged, settling back onto the couch. "My home, you have already. My help with whatever, sure. My friendship, always, no matter what. Kisses, touches, I can do. Secrets, hearts… those things I don't know about." He didn't look at Iruka's face, because he knew he'd see the smile there, and he couldn't bear it. To his surprise, when Iruka took hold of his chin and forced him to face him, it wasn't the dreaded smile but the prankster's grin that he saw.

"Gen-chan, one must begin simply," he said softly, then leaned forward to offer up a gentle kiss.


	7. Touch

Mm... I liked writing this chapter. I had a bit of a debate with myself over how fast the physical relationship moves, but I think I have an outline in mind now. And I didn't forget the camera, but the boys did for a while, so we'll get back to it next chapter. ;p

Oh, something I might need to reiterate. Last chapter when Genma said "fourteen year old boys" he was referring to Kotesu and Izumo, not Iruka. Iruka is 16 here!

NC-17 I guess...

Chapter 6: Touch

Everything stopped. One moment they were sitting on the couch drinking tea, talking, and the next Genma had stood up to go to bed, and the whole world stopped. They both looked at each other as if not sure to make an invitation or a request, and Iruka had to remind himself to set down his teacup for fear of dropping it. Nothing was said for a long moment as light eyes met dark ones, and then a nervous laugh passed between them.

It was Iruka who shook his head, and said "Good night." Genma merely nodded, leaned down to kiss Iruka lightly on the cheek, and went off to bed. It was much later when Iruka crawled into his own bed, sleeping alone there for the first time on his second night in his new home, and lay staring at the night outside his window for an even longer time.

Genma was up early, and waiting outside the store before it opened. The shopkeeper looked up at him in surprise when he came in to open up, the young shinobi lounging against the outside wall out of uniform but with his backwards bandana and deadly "toothpick" an odd sight to behold in such a place. "What can I do for you?" he asked, when he finally opened up and let the young man in.

"I need a nice camera." He paused, feeling a little silly. "I don't know anything about this kind, just the surveillance type, and this is more for… taking pictures of friends and stuff. A nice one though, like a real photographer would have," he added quickly.

The middle-aged shopkeeper eyed the young man skeptically. "If you don't know anything about it, you should start with something simpler."

Genma shook his head emphatically. "It's not for me, it's for my friend, and it has to be the best. But if you have any good books on learning photography, I'll take those too."

Smiling suddenly, the man walked over to a case and took out a few items, setting them on the counter for Genma to look at. "Here's the base camera, and it's one of the best being made right now. Here you have a few special lenses for it, the most popular ones, and here's a case and all the basic accessories… plus some film to start with. Here's a basic photography book, and one more advanced one." He paused, looking up at Genma to see if he was following, and then smiled wider at the perplexed look on the young man's face. "I do developing here, but if your girlfriend wants to learn to develop film herself, I teach it here, and have all the supplies." He cocked an eyebrow at Genma, as if to see if his assumption was correct.

Genma glared at the graying shopkeeper for a second, and then laughed. "Boyfriend actually, but what gave me away?"

"Not knowing what you wanted but knowing it had to be the best. Classic. Boyfriend, then. Still, he can come to me if he wants to learn how to develop his own film." He looked Genma up and down, taking in the tatty jeans and plain t-shirt. "I'd ask how you were going to afford this mess, but I'm guessing that needle in your mouth isn't a decoration."

Genma laughed. "Mmm… I figure this camera will cost me a few near-death experiences or so. Worth it, trust me. Wait til the boyfriend comes in here asking questions once he gets his gift, and you'll see what I mean." They laughed together as the man took his money and wrapped his purchases, and Genma left the shop whistling a happy tune and hoping nothing came up that he needed the life savings he'd just blown.

It was worth it, he thought just an hour or so later, watching Iruka come into the kitchen and goggle at the table full of packages. He'd just gotten out of the shower, and he was wearing a pair of plain black boxers and another one of his t-shirts… today's variety said "Cute Enough to Kill You". His hair was still wet and hanging around his face.

"What's all this?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Present for you," said Genma, leaning against the counter and discarding his senbon in favor of drinking coffee. Iruka walked over and stole a sip from his coffee cup before turning back to the table.

"It's not my birthday or anything," Iruka protested weakly, but he was already opening the largest of the boxes. He reached in and pulled out the camera carefully, staring at it amazed. "When I said I wanted a camera, I didn't expect one like this…" he said, his voice full of awe.

Genma smiled. "Yeah, I know, but you need a hobby that doesn't involve getting in trouble, I thought. I hope you like it, because I kind of splurged and bought all the accessories." He indicated the smaller packages. "And the man who sold it to me says he teaches how to develop film, if you're interested in that later."

Iruka set down the camera and opened each package carefully, inspecting the contents. Genma merely leaned against the counter and watched, grinning. Soon Iruka had the basic photography book in one hand and the camera in the other, inspecting all the settings and occasionally referring to the owner's manual as well. It must have been at least half an hour later when he looked up and realized Genma was still watching him. He carefully set everything down and stood, walking over and putting his arms around Genma. "Thank you," he whispered. "You're crazy, and you overdo things, and you probably spent more money on all this than you should have, but thank you."

Genma smiled down at him happily, then poked him in the chest. "Well, I have to be nice to you, or you'll kill me with your cuteness and all that." Iruka stuck out his tongue and wrinkled his nose at Genma, who laughed. "Seriously, Iruka, I think this picture thing will be good for you. We'll have fun with it." Then his mind took that one in another direction, and he leered.

Iruka blushed and buried his head in Genma's chest, but laughed softly. "I'd like to get around to doing normal stuff before we start thinking about taking pictures!" he protested. They rested there for a moment, quietly, and then Iruka pulled away just enough to look up at Genma through lowered lashes. "Of course, we could get started on that now if you're not in a hurry to get to work…"

Genma sighed, then kissed Iruka suddenly with a passion that seemed to come from nowhere. The boldness of Iruka's offer, coupled with his strong arms still wrapped firmly around Genma served to remind him that his friend was no longer the boy he'd been when they met. The passion between them grew as Genma explored Iruka's mouth, and again as before Iruka responded eagerly. Genma slid his hands under the cute t-shirt, exploring the firm muscle there that was somehow at odds with the "cute" theme. He found himself rocking his hips forward to grind against Iruka's, and then turning them so that he was pressing Iruka back into the counter instead of leaning on it himself. "We can stay here, and do this now, and work the clubs tonight." Genma said softly when he finally broke the kiss.

Iruka tried to pretend he was thinking about it, and failed miserably. He finally gave in and just nodded, sliding his hands down to cup Genma's butt over his jeans, and pulling Genma even tighter against him. "I don't know exactly what I want, you know," he admitted. "I mean, I know what people do, but I haven't done it, unless you count a little drunken messing around."

The heavy-lidded hazel eyes just looked down at him enigmatically, the hands that had been exploring his chest now simply resting on his sides. Iruka shuddered at the intensity of that impossible-to-read expression, not sure if he should be thrilled or terrified. This man might eat him alive, he decided, but that would probably be okay. Then it was simply his Gen-chan again, grinning and saying, "Let's at least move to my bed, okay, and then we'll see where it goes."

Iruka let himself be led off to Genma's bedroom, where he was pushed lightly onto the bed. With more confidence than he felt, he smiled up at Genma, who propped himself on his side facing Iruka. "So, what have you done?" Genma asked, kissing his way down Iruka's neck gently as he spoke.

Iruka blushed. "You want me to tell you, like, in detail or what?" He could feel Genma's smile against his too-hot skin, but Genma didn't answer. "I mean, it's not like no one's ever touched me or anything, but it was all just touching, nothing…"

"You can't even talk about it?" asked Genma, his kisses turning to bites and sucks on Iruka's neck, and Iruka just knew he wasn't going to be wearing t-shirts for a few days now, if Genma was making the kind of marks it felt like he was.

Iruka squirmed, then realized he really couldn't make himself say it. He shook his head, and the trail of kisses and bites down his neck stopped briefly. "Okay then, just tell me if I do something you don't want, how's that?" Genma said finally, and Iruka nodded. Then his shirt was being pulled off and thrown onto the floor, and Genma was continuing the trail down his body with his mouth. It was nice, he decided, nicer than when the girl he'd dated for a bit had done it, nicer than when Izumo had been too drunk and decided to play with him. He lay back and just let Genma touch him, his hands and lips and tongue exploring the bronze skin, mouth sliding along the line of a thin wire scar he'd gotten just last year with a failed trap, capturing a sensitive nipple briefly before discarding it when the sensation caused Iruka to buck his hips up off the bed.

It was then that one of the older shinobi's talented hands slid into the front of Iruka's boxers, stroking gently and then retreating to actually pull the boxers off. Iruka was struck for a moment by the fact that he was naked while Genma was still fully dressed, and he stiffened. "Gen-chan," he said softly, reaching up to pull at Genma's shirt. The light skin actually showed a flush as Genma made quick work of not only his shirt but also his jeans, which Iruka found he wore without any underwear, so that soon he was as naked as Iruka.

Iruka was fascinated at the expanse of cream skin before him. Genma was lithe and wiry, all firm lean muscle, every inch of him. Everywhere Iruka touched there was soft skin and hard muscle, and he ran his hands everywhere he could reach, simply petting while Genma continued to make his own explorations. Finally, Genma trapped Iruka's hands with his own just long enough to stop his movements, then pressed his body against Iruka's fully, withdrawing just an inch before making the same motion again, pressing his hard length against Iruka's.

Iruka thought he was going to burst with just that friction, but he didn't want to disappoint his Gen-chan, so he pulled back a little and tried to think of how to phrase his question. Before he could do so, though, Genma was claiming his mouth again, giving him no time to think or worry or decide, and reaching down with his hand between them to grasp Iruka's erection, stroking it ever-so-gently while still rubbing his own against it. "It's okay, Iruka, you're supposed to get off," he reassured, and that was all it took to bring Iruka over the top, spurting over Genma's hand, his cock, and everything in between them. Genma pulled back then, and to Iruka's surprise, proceeded to lick the cum off his own hand, then off Iruka's body everywhere it had landed. He wasn't sure if he was grossed out or turned on, to be honest, but Genma was smiling and looking at him through those heavy-lidded eyes, so it couldn't be bad.

Iruka smiled back at him, and then asked, "Can I do something for you…?", not quite sure what he was even offering. Genma shook his head, and simply spread the cum that had landed on his own cock around with his hand, then stroked himself slowly, going back to kissing Iruka's neck and running his free hand along his body. It seemed to last forever, and Iruka was getting over stimulated from the constant touch of Genma's mouth when finally Genma increased his pace and within a moment came into his own hand, dripping onto the bed and the flushed tan skin beneath him as well. He looked as if he might clean Iruka up with his mouth again, but Iruka shook his head. "You're going to kill me!" he proclaimed, and Genma laughed.

"Sorry, I forget not everyone is an overstim junkie like me. You okay, kid?"

Iruka frowned. "I'd be better if you didn't call me 'kid', at least in bed," he said, pouting.

Genma rolled his eyes and moved back, propping himself up on his elbow so he wasn't touching Iruka at all. "So would I, probably. Sorry about that. So, was that what you had done before?"

Iruka blushed. "At the beginning, it was just like making out I've done before, you know. But after that, I can't compare. I mean, sure, I had someone give me a hand job before, but we weren't naked and there wasn't all the… friction. That was like masturbation with help, and this was like… sex."

Genma chuckled. "Sex, yes, of a sort. You like?" Iruka nodded, not caring that he was covered in Genma's cum still and felt like every nerve ending was raw. "So, why haven't you done this stuff before?" Genma asked suddenly.

Iruka grinned at him. "No one who offered was you."

Genma looked at him incredulously and then laughed. "So I guess you expect me to be all lovey and promise you my undying faithfulness now or something?"

Iruka shook his head vehemently, wet dark locks flying. "You wouldn't be my Gen-chan if you did things like that, now would you? Though I would like to know if we're together or if this is just some kind of casual sex thing."

Genma raised an eyebrow and leaned down so that he was looking Iruka straight in the eyes. "Would you do this with me if it were a casual sex thing?" Iruka nodded silently, and Genma's worldview rearranged itself again. Iruka was sure doing that to him a lot lately, he realized. "It's not," he said firmly, with a soft kiss right at the edge of where Iruka's facial scar ended on his cheek.

"Hmm, guess I'll have to cancel all those other dates I had planned," joked Iruka, smirking.


	8. Rumors

Chapter 7: Rumors

The Third Hokage had a rather embarrassing problem. He had stepped into his office, dodged five different rather ingenious traps, felt good about himself, and then blundered right into a sixth. Of course, a guard had swept the office for actual danger before he'd even entered, but Sandaime, in the spirit of fair play, had instructed that anything obviously Iruka's was to be left intact years ago, and the rule still held even though the mischievous boy had become a strong young Chuunin who rarely did such things anymore. "Rarely, not never," the Third said aloud, pulling at the strange tags that had swarmed his body like insects. The thing was, six traps was a little many even for Iruka, and so after he'd so carefully dodged five he'd felt safe. Sighing, the old man flopped into his chair, and starting to work on inspecting one of the tags for a clue as to how to get it off.

Flash. Click. The old man looked up to see the prankster himself standing on the ceiling, holding a very nice camera, grinning. The young man carefully tucked it away into a pouch, waved, and dropped from the ceiling with a flip, landing gracefully to sit on the desk. "Can I help you with those, Hokage-sama?" he offered politely.

"What are you up to now, Iruka?" the Third Hokage said suspiciously, eying the pocket the camera had disappeared into.

The boy reached up a hand to brush one of the tags, and the whole lot of them not only fell off, but flew together into a stack which landed right into the pocket the young Chuunin held open for them. That taken care of, he reached into his pouch for the camera to show off. "This," he said, "was a gift from Genma. It's my new hobby. I'm going to have lots of pictures of everyone I love now." That last line was softer, and the smile wider than ever.

"It's a very nice camera," the Hokage said, looking it over when Iruka offered it to him. "Must have cost Genma a fortune," he added, then handed it back carefully. "So I make the list?"

Iruka smiled up at him beatifically. "That, my dear Hokage-sama, is still my first roll of film. Don't worry, I'll take more pictures of you later when I'm better, but I have to get all my most important people in this first roll, even if I'm still just practicing."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "I am honored to be held so high in your esteem." He felt as if his smile was probably just as roguish as Iruka's at the moment, because the young man's tricks made him feel young himself, more so than he'd ever admitted. In fact, it was time for the fun he'd been waiting for, he decided. He settled his face into a stern expression, and then said, "All this fun and games is well and good, Iruka-kun, but I'm actually glad to catch you alone. I've heard a rumor we need to discuss."

The boy gulped, stashing his camera quickly, scooting off the desk, and standing at attention. Work stuff coming out the blue was never good. "Of course, Hokage-sama, I stand ready to serve." The Third stood slowly, opening a scroll. "Tell me what your job is, Iruka-kun," he instructed.

Iruka scrunched up his nose, thinking, because the answer to that one wasn't as clear-cut as it sounded. "I am a shinobi of Konoha. My job is to serve and protect my village, and to go on any missions assigned by my village for it's clients, and thus it's continued prosperity and strength. I, Umino Iruka, have an ongoing mission to collect, organize, and interpret hearsay, gossip, and intrigue from inside Konoha in order to ensure the safety of both citizens and shinobi, from themselves as well as others. Also, to report on this process to the Hokage at every stage."

The Hokage weighed that, and actually found it pretty good. And that last bit gave him the opening he'd wanted. "So what happens when the streets are flying with rumors and you've said nothing to the Hokage?"

Then Iruka got it, and his tanned face flushed. He responded politely, however, as was his way. "Then I have either been remiss in my duties or decided such rumors were of no consequence."

"A sudden change of address, a marked change in behavior, complaints by friends who haven't seen him, sudden interest in dangerous activities… these are all warning signs, Iruka. You would have reported any one of your fellow shinobi for evaluation."

"Am I to report myself? And if you know the rumor, all those things are easily explained. Do I really have to come tell you that I have a boyfriend?" said Iruka, his tone still polite but getting a little incredulous.

Sarutobi laughed heartily, then dropped the scroll he was holding and reached out to pat the young man's head as if he were still a child. "I only tease you, Iruka. Still, it would have been nice to hear from you instead of spitting my coffee everywhere when the guard told me a couple days ago. So, are you happy? Not being taken advantage of or anything? Obviously you're being bought shiny new toys, but you really feel ready to be in this sort of relationship?"

Realizing this wasn't work after all, Iruka slouched into a chair and let the barrage of questions flit around his mind for a moment collecting answers. "Yes, happy. Genma? Taking advantage of me?" he laughed. "No. Ready? I wouldn't have been if it were anyone other than Genma, but he's been dealing with my issues for years already. He's more reliable than he seems, but you of all people know that."

The old man nodded. "Good, now get out of my sight and go play. Take the day off, you got me good this morning! Oh, and tomorrow at noon you are reporting here to teach me how to do that trick, got it?" He smiled as his young friend fled the office, then sat back in his chair with a sigh, feeling old suddenly. His mind had a picture in it just as clear as any that could be taken with a camera, and it was of a little boy with a scar across his face, smiling up at him proudly the very first time the Hokage had skipped scolding him and instead asked him how to create the trap he'd been caught with.

At home, the young man flopped on the floor in the large empty room at the back of the house and spread his treasures around him. He had just come from the photography shop, where the old man had smiled at him broadly and helped him develop his photos so that he might start learning the process. Now, spread out on the floor were the glossy pieces of paper. One face after another looked up at him. His Genma. The steady Raidou. The ever-adventurous Kotetsu. The wily Izumo. The kind Mizuki. The encouraging Hokage. The chatty Aoba. The flamboyant Gai. The stoic Kakashi. The list went on and on, friends and mentors, acquaintances and teammates, one after another citizen of Konoha. At the bottom of the stack were a few snapshots he had taken of small children playing, the blonde-haired boy with a the brilliant blue eyes, the heavy toddler shoving candy in his mouth by the handful, the quiet little boy who stared up at the clouds, the young Inuzuka girl whose little brother seemed just another of the puppies she was walking.

Lovingly, one after another, the young man tucked one photo after another into a photo album, labeling each with names and dates, except for the ones that were simply "children" because he didn't know the names. When he was finished, he held up the album, finally looking up at the presence that had been watching him from the door for a while. "Would you like to see, Gen-chan?" he asked.

Genma nodded, and went to join his boyfriend, watching reverently as Iruka flipped the pages. Every picture was gorgeous, as he expected, considering Iruka had devoured not only the books on photography he'd bought but several more before even taking a single photo. Iruka didn't say anything until he reached the one of the Hokage. "This one was interesting to take. The old man teased me about you, tried to make me think I was in trouble for not doing my job by properly reporting the rumors about us."

Genma laughed. "Sounds about right. How you get the Hokage himself to play around with you like that, I'll never know, but I've really seen a new side of him since I've known you."

Iruka grinned and wrapped an arm around Genma. "I just do that to people I guess. No one can resist my charm," he declared, snuggling close.

"If I find someone who can, they need to teach me," the older of the two quipped, leaning down to kiss Iruka gently. "So, should I expect to be in trouble for perverting his favorite little troublemaker?"

"Right now you should worry more about perverting me and less about getting in trouble for it," said Iruka, the hand he had on Genma's waist starting to wander. Genma caught and trapped it with one of his own, shaking his head.

"Love to, Ruka, but I have a mission. I shouldn't have lingered this long, but I had to see what kind of use you were getting out of my life's savings," he half-joked. "When I get back, I promise, I'll get right to work on perverting you." His words were light, but there was a seriousness in his light eyes, and he kissed Iruka gently again before leaving.

Iruka sighed, then picked up his photo album and opened it to the first page, which held four photos. Genma smiling, posing dramatically, doing a flip, and finally, once Iruka had learned to use the timer feature, a photo of himself and Genma with their arms around each other. Iruka's own expression in that photo was quietly content, while Genma's was playful, his hand coming up behind Iruka to pull on his ponytail.

He sighed and went to his room to place his album carefully on a bookshelf, then went off to figure out how to spend the rest of his day. Sandaime had given him the day off, but he had hoped to spend that time with Genma, and now he didn't know what to do with himself. He found himself wandering around town with his camera again, taking candid shots of people, and finding interesting angles from which to view the village.

When he returned home, he expected to be alone, but instead found a trail of clothing scattered through to Genma's bedroom. The door was open, and Genma was lying in his bed, barely covered by a sheet. "Gen-chan?" Iruka asked softly, not wanting to wake the man if he was asleep.

Genma turned onto his side, facing Iruka. His skin seemed far too pale, and Iruka hurried over and sat down slowly on the bed, reaching out a hand to touch his boyfriend's face. Genma smiled up at him. "Not to worry, Ruka, just a mild poison. From my own senbon, silly me, dropped it on myself just as we were leaving town. I've been to the hospital and been cleared already, so I just have to get some rest now."

Iruka stroked Genma's face lightly, trying to stay calm and take his word for it that he would be okay. Then his suspicious mind kicked in, and he said, "Genma, I've seen you do some pretty scary things with senbon, and I can't imagine you accidentally stabbing yourself with a poisoned one."

Genma grinned sheepishly. "Well, it was going to be a long and boring mission, and Aoba was already hitting on this girl assigned to our team before we were out of town…"

Iruka's eyes grew wide. "Do you know how much trouble you could get in if anyone found out you intentionally injured yourself to get out of a mission?"

Genma laughed lightly. "That's why you aren't going to tell anyone, kiddo. And I promise not to make it a regular occurrence, but I just really didn't want to be gone for weeks on end when I was just starting to have a reason to want to be home. Think you could get me something to eat though?"

Iruka shook his head, grumbled, but headed off to the kitchen to make sure his crazy boyfriend didn't starve.

Review note for aoh... I wish I could just reply to your reviews! :P

Thanks for doing the lovely pictures! I'm really enjoying them! bounces around happily Is it okay if I link them on my next journal update for this story?

Oh, the Iruka agreeing he'd do that with Genma even if it were a casual sex thing was meant to clash with his earlier thoughts. It's basically showing his changes in thinking, but yeah, it's kind of a moot point I guess.


	9. Taste

Warning: More smutty stuff here.

Chapter 8: Taste

By noon, Iruka was happy to get out of the house. Genma had been sicker than he had expected to be, and it hadn't really been much fun taking care of him. He'd spent much of the night puking, and the morning so far whining about being tired and achy. It was hard to be sympathetic when it came to someone poisoning themselves, but Iruka had tried his best. He was, after all, in love with the idiot.

"I have to go see the Hokage now, but I'll be back as soon as I can, Gen-chan," he said, more sweetly than he felt, petting Genma's head gently before he left. Genma had just nodded and watched him go.

The Third did not seem amused. When Iruka entered his office at the appointed time, the old man was serious throughout Iruka's explanation and demonstration of the chakra tags. Once he had the hang of the trick, he waved his hand as if to dismiss Iruka, and then paused and said, "How is Shiranui by the way? I hear he had an accident and had to be held back from his mission."

Iruka sighed. "He's rather sick. He says the hospital cleared him, but I'm worried about him, to be honest. He didn't give me any details about the poison, so I don't know what to tell you."

Sandaime picked up a folder from his desk and glanced at it. "He has a few different things he uses, so I'm not sure myself, but I trust our medics. Let him know, however, that he'd better be more careful or find a new way of carrying his poisoned senbon, because too many of these incidents and I'll have his rank. I didn't like having to send someone else out to do his job over sheer carelessness. In fact, I think I'm suspending him from missions temporarily, with the exception of your in-town work."

Iruka's eyes grew wide, because he knew without a shadow of a doubt that the Hokage was not fooled. The suspension didn't seem like much of a real punishment, though, and he wondered if Genma was getting off light for his sake. Or perhaps the Hokage figured the suspension would be a real punishment because Genma would go broke, considering he'd just spent so much money on Iruka. Iruka bowed politely. "I will relay your message, Hokage-sama, and your… concern for my friend's recovery, of course. Do you have anything else for me today?"

The Hokage laughed. "You're growing into quite the man, Iruka-kun. I have nothing else for you today, but I expect the usual reports again starting tomorrow, whether your partner is up to working with you or not."

Iruka bowed again, and took his leave, intending to head straight home. On the way, however, he ran into a group of children who just had to be photographed, practicing so dedicatedly with toy weapons and proclaiming themselves to be Hokage, or a famous ninja, or a warrior of whatever mystical story-land was in vogue at the moment. Kids were really starting to catch his eye since he'd started taking pictures, because they seemed to either not care he was doing so, or ham it up for the camera, either of which was fun.

When he finally made it home late that afternoon, Genma was up and moving around, and acting almost normal. He had obviously showered and dressed while Iruka was gone, wearing a t-shirt and shorts. "Sorry for making you worry, and being so much trouble," he said quietly when Iruka came in, sounding sincere.

Iruka shrugged, shucking his vest, pouches, and hitae-ate. He informed Genma of the Hokage's rulings on the matter as he did so. "You'd better not try that one again, seriously, Gen-chan. He saw right through you," Iruka warned. "You worked hard to get to where you are, and you don't want to risk losing it."

Genma cocked his head at him. "When did you get so serious, kid?"

Iruka shrugged again, walking away from Genma and heading into the living room to sit on the couch. Genma followed, looked at him as if considering the safety of the move, and then lay down with his head in Iruka's lap. Iruka sighed and started running his fingers through the fine strands of his light hair. "I'm growing up, that's all. I thought I was grown up before, because I was so sad for so long, and I thought mourning and having to live on my own had made me grown up. It's learning to live with other people that's doing it though, and learning that being a shinobi isn't just about sacrificing your life, but also learning to live it despite the pressure you're under. You shirked out of a mission yesterday, and someone else was sent anyway, because the business of the village goes on. I want you here, because I miss you when you're gone, and I want to spend time with you, and there are many things I have yet to experience with you that I'd like. But if you're here, and someone else goes in your place, it's just that person being taken away from someone or something."

Iruka shook his head then, emphatically. "I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty, just being a little philosophical. How are you feeling now?"

Genma smiled up at Iruka. "You're playing with my hair, and talking to me, and it doesn't matter that what you're saying isn't all the kindest, because I know you don't mean to hurt me with it, and because somewhere in there I heard you say you miss me. And I feel almost normal again, now that I'm rested and clean."

"You know, you did promise you'd do something when you got back…" Iruka said mischievously, "But I don't know if you're up to it."

Genma looked puzzled, and then grinned broadly. He flipped off the couch to kneel in front of it, and crawled up to Iruka on his knees. "Oh, I definitely have important work to be doing," he said, winking at Iruka. He hadn't really so much as touched in Iruka in days, since their first real experience together, because other things kept coming up and he didn't want to rush things or push his inexperienced lover into something too quickly. Now he deftly unfastened Iruka's uniform pants, pulling them and his boxers down just enough to free his cock, already half-hard just at the mention of sexual activity.

Genma took a moment just to look, impressed by his young lover's eagerness and sensitivity. He locked eyes with Iruka and licked his lips, basking in the shudder that went through the younger man, and the way he boldly thrust his hips forward, urging Genma on. This self-confidence was no longer a surprise to Genma by now, as he was realizing more and more of Iruka's strength and versatility.

The growing impatience on Iruka's face tempted him to stall further, but Genma knew he was already treading on thin ice with Iruka at the moment over the Hokage's lecture, so he smiled apologetically and started delivering little licks to the tip of the deliciously caramel-colored cock in front of him. He drew it out as long as he thought Iruka could stand it before starting to lick all the way up the shaft, then finally took the head into his mouth and sucked gently, wrapping one hand around the shaft to alternately stroke and squeeze. Iruka was thrusting up into his hand and mouth with abandon, and Genma laughed deep in his throat, amazed all over again.

It wouldn't take much to finish him, Genma figured, and simply unwrapped his hand and pulled it out of the way, letting Iruka's next thrust carry him fully into Genma's waiting mouth. As expected, that simple act did the trick, and Iruka came down the back of Genma's throat instantly, screaming. Genma was a little sad to miss the salty-sweet taste he'd discovered Iruka had, but the look of shock on his lover's face was worth it.

"Mmmm…" was all Genma said, pulling away carefully, mindful that Iruka wouldn't want touch now like he would have, wouldn't want the burning pain of nerves pushed beyond their limits.

Iruka lay his head back on the back of the couch, breathing heavily. "Wow," he said softly, then made a face when Genma laughed. "Well, come on, you're GOOD!" he protested. Then his eyes lit up, and suddenly he seemed to have energy again. He bounced up off the couch and hastily pulled his pants up, not bothering to really fasten them, then reached out and pulled Genma to his feet. "You go stand over there," he said, pointing to a point on the wall. Then he was out of the room, and Genma was standing there alone with a hard-on wondering what the hell Iruka was thinking. Sighing, he finally went over to lean against the spot he'd been directed to, and simply waited.

Iruka came back with his camera and a roll of film, setting it up carefully on the coffee table and changing settings. He looked through it at Genma, adjusted the angle with a book, and then looked through it again. Finally satisfied, he said "Just stay there, okay?" He proceeded to pull out his ponytail, shaking his hair out, and then starting stripping. Not quite slowly enough to be a striptease, but not exactly efficiently either. When he was naked he dropped to the floor, and then prowled across it, stretching sinuously and tossing his head back.

Genma thought he was going to come in his pants before Iruka even reached him. The sheer mix of instinct and obvious effort was amazing… for all Iruka didn't have in experience, he made up for in natural grace and enthusiasm. The subtle click as the camera occasionally went off barely reached Genma's consciousness, and he wondered how much of this show was for the camera, and how much for him. Finally, Iruka was on his knees in front of Genma, reaching out to stroke his way up Genma's leg under his shorts teasingly before making his way under the waistband with his other hand and pulling down. Like Genma had done to him, he left the shorts on, pulling them down just enough. Looking down at the completely nude form in front of him, Genma realized what a turn-on the difference in their states of dress was, and by the look in Iruka's eyes, he'd meant it that way.

"Tell me what to do," Iruka said in a low voice.

"No," Genma replied softly. "Figure it out on your own."

Iruka's devious smile merely grew wider, and he ran his fingers lightly over Genma's length, exploring. Genma realized that when they'd been together before he'd brought himself off, so Iruka hadn't even really had much chance to touch him there. The careful inspection lasted a long moment, and then Genma realized Iruka was weighing his expression every time he changed pressure and direction, as if learning the exact right way to touch Genma. So meticulously his young lover explored.

Finally, Iruka seemed satisfied, and carefully set his tongue at the base of Genma's cock and licked all the way up lightly, then once more, harder this time. He spread open-mouthed kisses up the shaft, then blew lightly, the air cooling the saliva he'd left behind there. He reached one hand up carefully to investigate Genma's sack as he worked, and as before Genma felt as if each movement had meaning, was calculated. It would have seemed detached if not for the passion burning in those dark eyes, the flush on that bronze skin.

An eternity passed, and Genma suddenly realized that Iruka hadn't forgotten his mention of being an overstim junkie. The pain beginning to grow beneath his skin was also carefully calculated, he realized, and said, "Enough, please."

Iruka purred softly, engulfed Genma suddenly as Genma had done to him, and… discovered his gag reflex. To the kid's credit, he barely missed a beat, simply pulling back a second and then reaching out to take as much into his mouth as he could without getting the same reaction, wrapping the hand that wasn't busy with Genma's balls around the rest of the shaft tightly and simply bobbing slowly. Genma held carefully still, letting Iruka play, but couldn't resist reaching out to tangle a hand in Iruka's hair, those dark locks that were his undoing.

Iruka was getting tired, Genma could tell, and finally he gently pushed him back. "You're doing great, but I'm not easy to finish that way," he reassured. He wrapped his hand around Iruka's own on his shaft, and guided both their hands in a slightly faster rhythm. Iruka looked hurt for a second, and then smiled and put his mouth back into play, mostly holding still and letting their stroking hands cause the head of Genma's cock to slide over his lips. When Genma finally came, it was across Iruka's lips and on his face, and remembering Genma's previous actions, Iruka licked speculatively at it. He was surprised when Genma fell to his knees and kissed him deeply, sharing the taste between them.

It was a long time before either of them moved, simply sitting there in the floor kissing each other, and then Genma was overcome with curiosity. "So, the camera…?"

Iruka smirked. "I didn't stop hearing the clicks until afterwards, so I think we're okay. It's a time-lapse feature, and so it took pictures at certain intervals. I hope some of them turn out nice…. I'm sure you'd love to have some good pictures of me with your cock in my mouth, or your cum all over my face, wouldn't you?"

Genma's eyes grew wide, and his voice sounded strange in his own ears when he asked, "Who is perverting who here?"

Random note: I just wrote almost an entire chapter devoted to oral sex. Someone please help me. :P


	10. Processing

Chapter 9: Processing

The photography shop owner looked up for the second time in his life to find a young shinobi waiting outside his shop for him when he came to open it. His shop had always done good business with civilians, but he didn't sell the type of spy stuff shinobi typically wanted, so he wasn't used to having this type of clientele. It was the younger of the two this time, the cute kid with the scarred face and the mischievous eyes. "Good morning, Kobi-san," the young man said with a polite bow, and suddenly the older man wished he remembered the kid's name.

"Good morning…" he replied.

"Umino Iruka," the young man supplied helpfully. "You might as well learn it, I'm going to be your best customer unless my boyfriend runs out of money." The grin on his face was brilliant, and the older man found himself ushering the boy inside with him instead of making him wait while he opened up shop.

"Iruka-kun, then," he said, "What can I do for my best customer today?"

The boy's confident demeanor faded then, and he blushed. "Do you think I can use your darkroom on my own for a bit?" he asked shyly. "I'm sure I know how to do it well enough now, and I promise I won't make a mess."

Kobi Ekiken hadn't cared when the young shinobi buying the camera had corrected him about the gender of his partner. He hadn't cared when said partner had showed up for the promised lessons, and was actually quite fond of the boy already. He didn't care now, exactly, but he felt a little awkward, because he knew shinobi rules were a little different from civilian ones, but his eyes said this boy was probably young enough to be exploited. "You take those pictures yourself?" he asked quietly, after studying Iruka's face for a long moment.

Iruka nodded, not entirely surprised by this reaction. His expression stayed calm and polite. "Time-lapse. Hoping it came out okay. My own initiative, if that's what worries you."

The other man nodded, then gestured. "Go ahead. Tell you what, you want to play around in my darkroom all the time, you can just pay for some supplies once in a while. I'm not going to bother figuring out how much you owe me every day."

The smile that crossed the boy's face made the old man laugh and shake his head, as he watched the youngster literally skip into the darkroom. He remembered how the other young man had said he was worth the extravagant expense of the camera, and the old man couldn't help but agree. He rather figured the older of that pair was the one in trouble, the more he thought about it… and suddenly found himself feeling very glad he hadn't gotten around to having children, thinking about what was likely on the film right now being processed by the capable young mischief-maker.

Genma was still waking up when his bedroom door burst open and hit the wall. He bolted out of bed, reaching for his nearest weapon, and then sighed as the intruder tackled him backwards onto the bed again. "Gen-chan, you have to see!" Iruka said excitedly, bouncing up and down on his sleepy boyfriend.

"Ruka-kun, you're going to get yourself killed bursting in like that when I'm sleeping," Genma lectured, pushing Iruka off him. He noticed that Iruka clutched a photo album to his chest, and suddenly felt more awake. "Are those…?"

Iruka nodded, his ponytail bobbing. "Kobi-san seemed a little weirded out when I asked to use the darkroom by myself, but once I assured him I was the one who wanted the photos, he was cool about it." His eyes glinted dangerously as he held up the album. "So, how badly do you to see them?"

Genma growled, lunging, but Iruka flipped off the bed and danced away, laughing. Genma landed at the edge of his bed, and then simply sat for a moment, waiting to see how close Iruka would dare to get. When the time was right, he simply hooked an arm out and caught the teenager, pulling him down into his lap. "You really think you can win against me, kid?" he said softly.

Iruka's eyes still held that dangerous glint though, and he ground his butt back into Genma's groin. "I can, actually," he said confidently, "but let's look at the pictures." He flashed a smile at Genma's shocked expression, and opened the album, angling it so Genma could look over his shoulder.

The pictures had come out very well indeed, Genma discovered. His favorites were actually the very first ones, with his naked lover crawling across the floor towards him, prowling, stretching sensuously, glancing capriciously at the camera out of the corner of his eyes. The sheer sexuality of the pose, the complete control over his own body exhibited, the playfulness, the golden glow of his skin… every detail was perfect, classic Iruka… this strange mix of innocence and lust that Genma had somehow been blessed to become involved with.

Granted, the photo of Iruka licking the cum off his face was also pretty tempting, Genma decided, when they got there. He could feel his erection pressing against Iruka, who still sat in his lap as they looked at the pictures. He rolled his hips, just a touch, and to his surprise was rewarded with a light laugh. "You see, Gen-chan, I always win," said Iruka, leaning back to kiss him.

Whoever was at the door was going to die, Genma decided, the moment the bell rang. He tried to ignore it, and Iruka seemed to be doing the same, but whatever idiot was out there apparently had no sense of self-preservation, and just kept leaning on the stupid doorbell. Finally, Iruka disentangled himself and slid from Genma's lap reluctantly, saying, "I'll get rid of them, and then we'll get back to this."

Genma realized after a moment that Iruka had taken the photos with him, and sighed, leaning back to wait impatiently. When Iruka didn't return after several minutes, and he heard nothing coming from the other room, Genma sighed and heaving himself off the bed, adjusting his clothing to try to make himself comfortable. "Where are you, Ruka?" he called, entering the hallway.

"Kitchen," came the reply, and Genma entered the kitchen to see Iruka and Raidou sitting at the table talking quietly. "Sorry, I should have come to get you," Iruka said apologetically. Genma looked from his oldest friend to his boyfriend and back, feeling like something was a little off, but not sure what.

"What's so important you had to try to break my doorbell?" he asked his friend, his tone carefully light.

Raidou looked a little embarrassed. "I just got back from that mission, you know, the one you didn't go on. And I wanted to make sure you were okay, since when I left you were pretty much incapacitated. Apparently you're feeling better now," he said, his eyes straying to the book Iruka held in his hand. Genma's eyes grew wide, and he turned on Iruka.

"I didn't mean to!" the boy said instantly, clutching the album to his chest. "I dropped it, and he picked it up before I could stop him!"

Genma groaned, and Raidou's eyes fixed on him seriously. "You're upset? I didn't need to see THAT!" Raidou said suddenly, making a fist. "Seriously, I don't need to know what you and the kid do behind closed doors, let alone see photos!"

The two friends stared at each other for a long moment, and Genma realized he hadn't really talked with Raidou at all about his changing relationship with Iruka. He'd probably heard the gossip with everyone else, or realized what was going on the day he brought Iruka to play Capture the Flag, but Genma had never actually told him. "Sorry," Genma said softly. "I suppose it's weird, isn't it?"

Iruka's eyes narrowed, and he looked from Genma to Raidou. When he was younger, his closest friend had been Mizuki, then Kotetsu and Izumo, but Genma and Raidou had been closer to him over the past couple of years at least than any of his other friends, and this strangeness between them didn't feel good at all. "It's not weird," he said quietly, not sure if Genma had meant that in the way it sounded, but damn sure he wasn't going to let it slide.

Raidou was the one who replied. "Weird as in awkward, a little, because we're all friends and you two suddenly hooked up." Then he smiled at Iruka sardonically. "Though of course I should have known you'd get him eventually, you 'deadly sweet' thing. Still, I could really have done without knowing there were pictures, let alone seeing them." He rubbed his eyes as if trying to get rid of the images.

Iruka and Genma looked at each other for a moment, and then Genma sighed. "Come on, let's all just go out and do something fun. We'll behave, I promise," he said to Raidou, and then fixed Iruka with a look that said he'd damn well better behave. "Just let me get ready first, and you put that away," he said to Iruka.

Iruka pouted, but went off to put the photo album on his bookshelf with his regular one, resigning himself to putting off the expected play. More than play, he'd hoped, and wondered if Genma knew what he'd intended when he decided to put it off. It probably wouldn't matter if he did or he didn't, Iruka figured, because Genma's friendship with Raidou held priority, and Iruka couldn't honestly blame him for it. Even if he wanted to, a little.

While Genma was getting showered and dressed, Raidou and Iruka sat at the kitchen table inventing a new card game. Raidou still looked a little embarrassed, and Iruka couldn't help but play it up a little, licking his lips a little and looking up at Raidou through his lashes as if flirting.

"Will you stop?" the brawny man said finally, catching the hand that had "accidentally" brushed his setting a card down. "Yes, you're hot, I get it. You're not my type, anyway."

Iruka felt ashamed suddenly, and looked up at Raidou solemnly. "I'm sorry. I just never really did the whole sexual thing, and frankly you just interrupted me hopefully losing my virginity, and I'm sixteen and horny, and on a bit of a power trip."

A loud laugh erupted from Raidou suddenly, and he let go of Iruka's hand. "Well, you're honest at least. Damn, kid, I figured Genma had already fucked you silly a billion times by now. And you're telling me you pulled that stunt I saw in the photo and he didn't?"

Iruka shook his head mournfully. "Taking it slow. I think he's still a little freaked over the fact that I'm younger than you guys, and I started hanging around him when I was still very much a kid."

Raidou nodded sagely. "He got used to telling himself you were too young to mess around with, and now you've finally got his attention but he's trying to be sure he's doing it right, even though by your age he'd been in bed with half the people we'd worked with." Raidou rolled his eyes. "I'd beg off for today if it would help, but…"

Iruka shook his head. "Too late now. He's already too worried about the whole thing, and it'd just make things worse. Just forget it, and I'll stop flirting with you, okay?"

"I have a better idea," Raidou replied, then leaned over to whisper in Iruka's ear.


	11. Plots

Chapter 10: Plots

Genma wasn't expecting to find Raidou and Iruka playing cards as if they weren't even looking at them, staring each other down across the table. He stood in the kitchen doorway for a long moment, as if waiting for them to notice him, but the two just kept putting down cards, saying nothing and acting as if they didn't even realize he was there.

"Hey, guys?" he finally said. "Are we just going to play cards today or what?"

Raidou looked up first, and then turned back to Iruka without commenting. "I don't really want to teach him how to play our game, kid, what do you think?"

Iruka didn't even spare Genma a look. "No, I really don't think he'd be any good at it anyway. It's pretty complicated. Let's just finish this game and then we'll find something else to do." Still without looking up, he said, "Have a seat, Gen-chan, you can watch if you like."

Genma was not happy, but he strolled over and plopped into a chair anyway, clenching his teeth on the senbon in his mouth hard enough to hurt. He couldn't quite catch the flow of the game, the cards seemingly being played at random and occasionally picked up by one player or the other. When Raidou finally sat back and said, "I win," quietly, Genma wasn't even sure how it had happened.

Iruka nodded, picking up the cards and starting to put them back in their box. "You win. I'll get you your prize tomorrow, okay?"

This caught Genma's attention. "You guys were betting? What's the prize?"

Again Raidou looked at him impassively and then turned away without speaking, but this time Iruka turned to look as well. "It's a secret, Gen-chan. Our game, our bet, our business. Now, what are we going to do today?" he asked, smiling a polite very non-Iruka smile.

Genma glared at both of them for a moment, then sighed. "Okay, fine, keep your petty little secret. Let's go outside, it's nice out."

Raidou nodded, but as they were getting up to leave, he turned to Iruka. "Hey, bring that camera of yours, kid. I want to see what you can do with it other than porn." Iruka stuck out his tongue and then ran to retrieve the camera, and Genma glowered again.

"What, you didn't tell me, and now I have to act like I don't know even though I do?" Raidou said with a shrug. His friend didn't let up the glare, but shifted uncomfortably a bit, as if realizing he'd been the one to mess up.

Outside they found their way to one of their usual training spots, and found it already occupied by Iruka's old friends. "Not those monkeys," Genma said with a pout, and Raidou laughed. "Seriously, I got to see them drunk! Drunk, Raidou, can you imagine? I didn't realize when the kid moved in that the weird little monkeys were going to be hanging around."

Raidou arched an eyebrow at Iruka, who was walking on the other side of him. "You let him get away with calling you a kid still, and calling your friends 'weird little monkeys'?" He said the last part more loudly than necessary, and the two boys practicing taijutsu both turned to look at once. The larger of the two looked as if he might any moment summon up that strange weapon of his again, and Genma found himself wishing they'd decided to stay in and play cards after all.

"No, I don't think I will let him get away with it," replied Iruka, with his best dangerous grin. Suddenly he was pulling out a stack of those strange tags he favored, and they swarmed like insects, covering Genma before he had time to move. Apparently his friends took a cue from him, because when Genma tried to move, he found himself stuck in some kind of sticky substance on the ground, and there was that odd conch-looking thing being brandished in his direction. Great, he though, the troublemaking trio reuniting to beat on his ass.

"Come on, Ruka, I didn't mean it," said Genma, not bothering to try to fight. Sure, he might have been able to beat all three of the young Chuunin in a fair fight, but… wait, were there fair fights among shinobi? He didn't think so, now that he thought of it, and to be honest they probably still could have kicked his ass in one if they existed. He simply hadn't been prepared to fend off the infamous tricks of his own boyfriend. "I thought we were going to have fun today, hang out with Rai like old times, not air all our problems in public?"

Kotetsu's and Izumo's faces grew dark at this, and they turned as one to look at Iruka. "Problems? What problems is this guy giving you?"

Iruka exchanged glances with Raidou suddenly, wondering if their plan was going to work out quite right after all. "Nothing to worry about, guys. Just a little case of hypocrisy. I'll let you know if you need to beat him down though, okay? For the moment, can we have this field?" Then he looked down at the sticky patch below Genma, and changed his mind. "On second thought, we'll go on to the other one. I don't want to get that stuff on me again. That stuff is why I won't drink alone with Zumo anymore." At this, Izumo stuck out his tongue, and Kotetsu laughed.

"Fine, have it your way. But if he gives you too much trouble, I'll break every bone in his body," Kotetsu warned, looking far too serious for his age. Iruka shuddered a little, and remembered just how creepy his old teammates could be. "Weird little monkeys" wasn't quite as bad a name for them as he claimed, the more he thought about it.

It took Raidou and Iruka both to pull Genma away from the jutsu-induced stickiness, and Iruka left the tags where they were, swarming Genma and keeping him from moving. The other two kind of dragged him between them, and threw him on the ground when they reached the field. Iruka snapped a couple of pictures just for fun, and then he and Raidou walked away. Smiling at each other over his head, they shucked their t-shirts and went to the middle of the field, facing off against each other.

Something about seeing Raidou and Iruka fighting each other was just wrong for Genma. First, the simple fact that he _knew _Raidou could end it any moment he chose, but also because they were both half-naked and sweating in the midday heat, and Iruka seemed determined to flirt while they were fighting. At first Genma thought he was imagining it, but after the tenth or so time he saw Iruka give that one particular smile, he knew there was something going on. He wanted to go play too, or put an end to it, one or the other, and he couldn't decide which.

"If you weren't going to let me practice too, you might as well have just left me behind," he said finally, pouting.

Raidou turned on him suddenly, dodging a punch from Iruka even as he turned his attention to his oldest friend. "What would you have done if we left you behind, spent some quality time with those photos?"

Iruka smirked, dropping to the ground and posing. "Oh, Rai, didn't you know, that's what we were trying to do when you showed up in the first place? Of course you didn't know that though, since your dear friend didn't even bother to tell you anything." He reached out his hand and focused chakra, and the tags spun away from Genma to gather in his hand. He stuffed then in a pocket and then turned to look at Genma, still posing provocatively. "Well, come on, Gen-chan, didn't you want to play?"

"You didn't tell him either," said Genma flatly, not moving towards either of his so-called friends.

Raidou shook his head. "Actually, he made his intentions pretty clear, even if he didn't inform me of his success. You're annoying, Genma, but you're not stupid, you know as well as I do that he's been after you for a while." He looked Genma up and down, and for a moment Iruka thought his expression looked almost hungry, but then it passed. "I'm not sure I agree with his taste, but I'd say you're pretty lucky he puts up with you both treating him like he's a kid and messing around with him. If I were him, I'd say it were time for you to pick one and stick with it."

Genma's mouth fell open, and all the pieces clicked in place at once. "You guys are conspiring against me, playing off each other's personal problems with me at the moment to use each other for your own revenge."

Iruka smiled, sauntered over, and patted Genma on the head. "Wow, that was pretty quick for someone who is supposed to do this sort of thing for a living!" he said sarcastically.

Raidou grinned. "Well, it was kind of fun," he said with an apologetic look that didn't seem genuine at all. He reached out to pull gently on Iruka's ponytail. "I have to say, though, if you don't stop flirting with me, I'm going to be pretty tempted to borrow those pictures myself." He didn't blink an eyelash as Genma launched himself off the ground, and easily deflected the fist aimed at his face.

"Now, Gen-chan, don't make me tie you up again," said Iruka silkily. The voice and the suggestion did not sound like a threat to Genma, and he whimpered a little. "Surely you don't think Rai would actually mess around with me, do you?"

Genma looked from one to the other again, weighing his response. Before he could decide what to say, though, two bodies were piled on top of him as they both tackled him at once, and he would have choked on his senbon at the tickling that ensued if Iruka hadn't swiped it from him. Apparently whatever weirdness had been going on between them was done now, and Genma would have sighed in relief if he could breathe.

It was late that evening when the three made it to Genma's house, with refreshments, and spread themselves around his living room on the floor. "So, I think you should hang them on the walls," Raidou said suddenly, after a couple of drinks.

Genma choked on his beer, and Iruka giggled. "No, seriously, wouldn't that be funny?" Raidou pressed. "Can you imagine what people would think? And what kind of impression they'd make at your next party, Gen?"

"Kotetsu and Izumo would certainly find it amusing," Iruka added, smiling widely. "Tetsu would never call me a prude again."

Genma groaned, then knocked back the rest of his beer. "That's it, I'm going to bed. You two behave, and if you don't, just don't tell me about it, okay?"

Raidou and Iruka looked at each other and laughed, and Iruka brandished the camera at Raidou, as if making a suggestion, but Raidou shook his head and stood. "Tempting, Ruka-kun, but I've had quite enough photos for one day." He leaned in to give the younger boy a hug, and then smacked Genma lightly upside the head. "I'd suggest you take this one off to the bedroom and finish what you were doing when I came in earlier, or he's going to be pretty unhappy with you, old friend," he said to Genma gravely, then turned and jauntily let himself out.


	12. Terms

Chapter 11: Terms

Genma stood near the door leading out of the living room, while Iruka was still sprawled out on the floor. Next to Iruka's hand there was a single half-empty beer bottle. He'd known the best way to not get what he wanted would be to drink, based on the earlier comments Genma had made about not playing around with him drunk. "I'm half tempted to tell you we're done," Genma said softly, and Iruka looked up at him suddenly with widened eyes. "You and Rai are my closest friends, and I can deal with the teasing from you, and probably deserved it. I should have told him what was going on, and I shouldn't treat you like my partner one moment and a kid the next. I get that."

Iruka resisted the temptation to take his hair down, to make his best innocent face, because he knew that while it might diffuse the current danger, it would only cause more problems between them in the long run. "Why?" he said simply, instead.

"Because Raidou was right about the way I treat you, and I'm not sure how easy it will be to change. Nor am I sure I want to change it. I don't want to give up one relationship with you to have another. And I'm not sure I want to be with someone who will wander away from me every time they aren't getting something they want instead of simply asking."

"Oh," said Iruka, feeling foolish, realizing that he hadn't ever actually talked to Genma about their sex life, or what he wanted from it. In fact, he hadn't even been able to talk to Genma about sex when Genma had asked him, had shaken his head and blushed. "I'm sorry. I was wrong." He paused. "As for the other part, I hadn't thought of it that way. I guess I thought we'd find a middle ground somewhere instead of swinging from one extreme to another, create one relationship out of the two rather than rejecting one in favor of the other."

Genma looked surprised at that thought. He sat heavily on the floor, pulled his bandana off, and massaged his temples. "I have a headache. Relationships shouldn't give you headaches."

Iruka moved to a position where he could sit behind Genma, and pulled him backwards into his lap, so that he could take over massaging the other man's temples. He added small amounts of chakra to his touch as he did so, in the same way he often treated sore muscles after too much training. Before long Genma had melted back into his touch, and he asked quietly. "Does that feel better, Gen-chan?"

Genma turned his head slightly, so that he could look in Iruka's eyes, and their faces were so close that he could feel Iruka's breath. "So, should I take Rai's advice?" he asked lightly.

It took a moment for Iruka to figure out which advice Genma meant, but when he did, his eyes lit up. "If you feel up to it, you know I'd love for you to…" he started, then bit his lip nervously, still not as good with saying sexual things as he was with doing them.

Genma laughed lightly, and dropped an affectionate kiss on Iruka's lips. "Silly Ruka-kun, the words aren't really so hard to say." The teenager felt like every ounce of blood in his body must be in his face, but he said softly, "Fuck me?"

The hazel eyes grew wide, and somewhere southward came an instant response to the dirty words spoken in his lover's quiet subdued voice. He leaned forwards and immediately claimed Iruka's mouth in another kiss, and then all but dragged him into Genma's bed. "Say it again?" he asked, kissing the back of Iruka's neck, which he had found was wildly sensitive.

"Fuck me," said Iruka again, this time without the questioning tone, but with a certain authority in his voice. Genma shivered, but merely continued kissing the back of his neck, until Iruka was squirming beneath him. "Touch me, taste me, claim every part of me. Gen-chan, please…" Iruka begged, and then suddenly Genma was undressing him none-too-gently, and doing exactly as he had asked, exploring his body with hands, tongue, teeth. The younger shinobi was starting to realize the effect his words had on his lover, how his obvious shyness had made any dirty words he could force out of his mouth have all the more effect. He wanted to smirk in triumph, but all he could manage was panting and moaning, driven wild by Genma's attention.

The senbon shinobi shed his own clothes with practiced ease, barely missing a beat in driving his partner wild while doing so. Later Iruka would wonder just how many times Genma had done this, if Raidou's estimation of half their mission partners was right, but right now it didn't matter. All that mattered at this moment was that Genma pressed himself up against Iruka, and Iruka shuddered, his fevered flesh burning in every place that they touched. He could feel parts of him becoming raw already… a nipple that seriously needed to stop being stimulated, and his neck which felt like it couldn't possibly become any more sensitive, and yet somehow kept managing it. "Please, Genma, please," he begged, not even quite sure what he was asking for, just some sort of release, and knowing he wasn't even close to what he truly wanted.

Genma smiled down at him, reaching up to remove the very last piece of attire he'd left… the tie holding Iruka's ponytail. He gently and lovingly pulled it out, stopping all his other activities to simply run his hand through those dark locks, then moving the same hand down to stroke a line across Iruka's face, following his scar. "You're beautiful," he said, awe in his voice. "Don't move," he commanded, running to the living room to retrieve the camera, carefully putting it in the simplest mode as Iruka had taught him, and clicking a single photo of his Ruka-kun lying there, his hair spread out around him, his face flushed, and an expression that lingered somewhere between pain and pleasure, no sign of the brilliant fake smile in sight.

Then he set the camera carefully aside and returned to the bed, holding himself up on his hands and knees above Iruka without touching him, bowing his head to kiss him gently and reverently. Afterwards, Iruka grinned up at him. "More, Genma, I think I know what you mean by being an overstim junkie now," he said lightly, and Genma laughed, because he had been trying to think how to explain to Iruka that he still didn't know what to offer him, still wasn't worthy, couldn't promise anything… and yet Iruka knew what he wanted and was asking for it.

Not wanting to disappoint, Genma lowered himself until his body was flush with Iruka's, bit gently into the copper flesh of his throat, thrust against him so that Iruka could feel his arousal, and was rewarded with a low moan, and another "Please…"

He recognized that voice, knew exactly what it was Iruka was trying to convey, and merely repeated his previous motion, nipping his way around Iruka's neck to his favorite spot, the one that seemed to drive Iruka wild with the lightest touch. Iruka came between them, screaming, covering them both, and Genma merely grinned. Then he reached down and dipped a finger in the substance, drawing a line down Iruka's body and between his legs, ringing ever so lightly around his entrance before slipping the finger inside carefully. Iruka's dark eyes flew to meet Genma's lighter ones, but his gaze was steady, and he merely watched as Genma slipped the finger in and out, merely arched his back slightly when that finger stroked his prostate, said nothing at all as more fingers were added.

"Are you okay?" Genma asked finally, rather disturbed by Iruka's reactions, or lack thereof.

"Mmm, Gen-chan, I was thinking we have to get pictures of that some time…" Iruka said with a grin.

Genma laughed, withdrawing his hand suddenly. "I should never have bought you a camera, you little pervert," he choked out, then rocked back on his heels to once more simply take in the sight before him. Iruka, in all his glory, all youthful exuberance and growing strength, muscles that were bulkier than Genma's own showing under his caramel skin, evidence of his own release still streaked across his body, every inch of him quivering with not fear but carefully restrained desire… and Genma was suddenly determined to make that desire break lose. He lowered his mouth to the entrance where his fingers had just been working, starting out with gentle licks and then thrusting his tongue in fully suddenly, keeping a firm grip on the younger man's thighs, because as expected, he bucked his hips to the point of nearly dislodging Genma from his spot on the bed.

Satisfied at having found a way to get a reaction, Genma continued his assault, not giving way until Iruka was whimpering incoherently, then finally reaching under the bed for a bottle of lubricant and slicking it on himself. He didn't need any touching to come to full hardness, having felt as if he might burst throughout the entire experience… more turned on by touching Iruka than by any touch he'd ever felt himself. He carefully measured his lover's expression before going any further, but Iruka merely said, "Please" again, and Genma smiled and carefully started entering him.

He'd never been so careful with a lover in his life, he realized later, never quite worried so much about hurting someone or making the experience not perfect for them, even in the situations when he had known it was someone's first time. This was different, though, he thought, focusing on the scarred face, the loosened hair spread out across his pillow, the hard muscles and smooth young skin. This was Iruka.

Finally fully seated, Genma wanted to wait to give Iruka a chance to adjust, but Iruka was still begging. "Please, more, Gen-chan," and he couldn't deny that voice, so he rocked his hips forward and back, just a little, just the tiniest motion. He did it once, twice, three times before finally actually pulling out a bit and thrusting.

Then he couldn't hold back if he wanted to, because Iruka hooked a leg up over Genma's shoulder and flexed it, thrusting upwards to drive Genma deeper inside his body. After that, all control was gone, and he was driving himself into the willing flesh below him with everything he had, until his orgasm rolled over him, taking with it his voice in a raw scream that might have been Iruka's name, and then every bit of strength in his body, and he collapsed over Iruka, who merely wrapped his arms around him and kissed him gently on the cheek.

It wasn't until a little later that Genma stopped to wonder if Iruka had come again at some point, if he was satisfied, if he'd ruined Iruka's first experience with his carelessness, if Iruka was hurt by the reckless abandon he'd experienced at the end. He started to speak, rambling, not sure of his words and less sure of his meanings, but the dark-haired minx laughed gently, and kissed him, and said, "My silly Gen-chan" happily.


	13. Empathy

Chapter 12: Empathy

"I have nothing to report, and no excuses for my behavior," said Iruka calmly, bowing low before the old man behind the desk.

The old man's eyes sparkled with pride. A year ago this same boy would have made excuses, or tried to joke his way out of trouble, or worse yet, not shown up until someone arrived to physically drag him. "Iruka-kun, this assignment is not a game, and it's not any less important than any other mission I give you. You or Genma-kun must report every day unless you are both on missions. I have already suspended Genma from missions until further notice, but he at least has the excuse of having been poisoned, though why he was seen tangled up in tags at the training grounds yesterday if he's so deathly ill would be an interesting story to hear."

Iruka blushed, but merely stood at attention and spoke. "There was a bit of a disagreement among our group of friends yesterday, but it has been resolved. I was not aware that anyone witnessed our argument."

The disappointment in the Hokage's eyes came down on Iruka like a heavy weight. "You were not aware, shinobi?"

Iruka ran back over the previous day's events in his mind carefully. At the training grounds where they had run into Kotetsu and Izumo, there had been other people around at some point, but it took a few minutes for him to recall who they had been, as he hadn't really paid attention to them at the time. "Kakashi and Hayate were practicing nearby," he said finally.

The Third nodded. "Just because you are the official gossipmongers doesn't mean no one else talks, or that no one talks about you. Especially now that everyone is aware that you are in a relationship, people are always going to have an eye on you in some way. You can't afford to get lax, and you can't afford to allow your personal issues to get in the way of your work." He paused, and his voice became gentle. "Iruka-kun, you are not in the Academy anymore, nor are you a Genin. If you disobey orders, you cannot expect a slap on the wrist, and you cannot simply drift through life. I want you to give some serious thought to what your plans are, because I want to see you either training for Jounin testing or choosing another path soon. You always have to have something other than this intelligence job to do, because otherwise it looks like you're doing nothing, and while that might work for Genma, it doesn't work for you."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," replied Iruka, bowing again, carefully repressing his annoyance. "I will think on everything you have said. If we are finished here, I would like to get to work now, and I will report to you this evening."

Sandaime nodded, dismissing the boy, but sat for a while wondering exactly what he was going to do with him. He had suggested he train for Jounin testing, but was fairly sure it wouldn't happen, and there simply was no way he could justify keeping him nearby if he wasn't doing something visibly useful. Sighing, he had to admit that part of giving him the "special mission" in the first place had been a way of holding onto him, keeping him in town more often than not so that he could continue to be a mentor to him, but he didn't want to hold the boy back with his selfishness either.

"So, are you coming with me?" Iruka asked Genma later, in the mission room, as he planned his next stop on the day's information-gathering.

"Do you need me to?" asked Genma. It wasn't the answer Iruka had expected, so he merely raised on eyebrow and waited. "I'm going to have drinks with my friends if you don't need me with you," Genma explained.

"Can't I come with you?" asked Iruka, puzzled, steering them out of the building and into the street.

Genma shook his head, biting down hard on the senbon in his mouth. "Ruka-kun, you've been in a bad mood since you saw the Hokage. It's… rubbing off on me, and I don't even know why I'm mad, and that makes it worse," he admitted.

Iruka's eyes flashed. "The old man is disappointed in me! And it's not just that, he's pushing me to work harder when I feel like I work hard enough already! I didn't want this stupid mission, and I still have to go on regular missions, and I don't want any of it right now! I want a life!"

Genma took a step back, surprised. Then he slapped a hand over Iruka's mouth and hissed. "Shh, if we're going to fight about this, we can't do it here!"

Iruka bit the hand over his mouth, and wrenched away, then suddenly became very calm. "We're not fighting, Genma. You're going to go out with your friends, and I'm going to go work, and tonight by the time we get home we'll both be cooled off, okay?"

Genma nodded, and they went their separate ways without a word. Iruka felt as if he might cry, because the events of the previous night and the sweetness of the morning after between them had convinced him everything was going to be fine, and now already he was arguing with Genma. And over nothing, really, or at least nothing that really had to do with Genma. But why did Genma have to get angry because he was angry?

Iruka worked diligently, trying to make up for his previous disappointment of his mentor. When he did go to report in, the Hokage was as kind and playful as ever, so apparently he was ready to let the matter rest for the moment. Iruka was tempted to spend the night working away in the file room, but realized that Genma would see it as being bratty, so he headed home reluctantly.

When he opened the front door, he immediately heard loud music and laughter. A party? No, probably just some of Genma's friends who had come home from the bar with him, though in reality there wasn't a lot of difference. Sighing, Iruka shed his shoes and vest in the hallway before heading off to bed.

He was waylaid in the hallway by a boy younger than himself, who grabbed his arm and said, "Wait, Genma wanted to talk to you!"

Iruka turned, looking down at the boy. "Hayate, I can't believe you're hanging out with troublemakers like us," he said softly, grinning and letting the boy steer him into the living room.

"Just because I work hard doesn't mean I can't have fun! Actually we had a lot of people out tonight that don't normally come, even Kakashi. You should have come with us," said the friendly Hayate.

Iruka pouted a little, but didn't comment. Instead the two stepped into the room, and he pointed to Hayate. "No calling my friends weird little monkeys when you hang out with him." The boy laughed good-naturedly. "Thanks, Iruka-kun, glad to know how you feel about me!" He lithely flipped backwards from his position onto the couch, settling down next to Kakashi, who had his head buried in a book and didn't particularly seem to be paying attention. Kakashi waved without looking up, and Hayate laughed again.

Iruka stood looking down at where Genma and Raidou were lounging against the wall for a moment, then sighed and walked over to sit beside Genma. "Sorry," he said simply, and Genma reached out and put an arm around him.

"Yeah, me too. You just rubbed off on me or something, I don't know. Sorry for making you work all by yourself." Genma replied.

Iruka snuggled into the arm around him without comment, and was just getting cozy when sounds of retching came from the other side of Genma. His first thought was worry for his spiky-haired friend's health, but when he looked over, Raidou was pretending to gag himself. Hayate was laughing, but the white-haired teen with his nose stuck in a book didn't even bother to look up.

Genma just shook his head, but Iruka slipped from Genma's grip to reach over and punch Raidou on the arm. Then he grinned and pulled something out of his pocket, handing it over to his confused-looking friend. "OH!" said Raidou, snatching it and stowing it away quickly.

Iruka sniggered. "One of these days you're going to have to explain why you wanted that, but I'll let you off the hook for now, since apparently I've already made you sick in the two minutes I've been home."

Genma, however, had been paying close attention, and he gasped. "Iruka, that wasn't…!"

Iruka shook his head. "Not one of _those_ pictures, Gen-chan, of course."

At this Hayate raised an eyebrow, and laughed again, hard enough he wound up having a coughing fit. "That's it, get out of my house, all of you," said Genma, standing. He walked over to Hayate and laid a hand on his head. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

The boy nodded, and left with a wave and a wink at Iruka, followed by a Kakashi who still hadn't taken his head out of his book, and Raidou who paused to say something quietly to Genma on his way out.

"So, we okay?" Iruka asked when everyone was gone, scuffing his feet a little nervously.

The older shinobi smiled and twitched his senbon. "I'm drunk, you're tired, but other than that I think we're okay. Come on, let's go to bed." Iruka let himself be led into Genma's bedroom and undressed, and was mildly surprised when his boyfriend merely pulled him into the bed, curled up around him, and went to sleep. It took longer for Iruka to get to sleep, still thinking about his future, but finally he succumbed to the warmth and comfort of the arms around him and merely drifted.


	14. Epilogue

Simply Begin: Epilogue

It was the longest night of the year when Iruka ran home after having been away for over two months, on a mission that felt like it was never going to end. He had been with Genma long enough by now that he knew his longer-than-expected absence would be treated with care but not panic, and that the rush he felt getting home was for his own sake only. Still, he hurried, making Kotetsu and Izumo tease him gently and finally give up and let themselves be left behind.

He stumbled in to find Genma sitting at the kitchen table with Raidou, not surprisingly, playing cards. From the sounds of it, he was still trying to talk Raidou into teaching him the game he played with Iruka, and Raidou was still refusing. The two looked up in unison at the scar-faced young Chuunin who stood in the kitchen doorway, his ponytail damp and limp, but standing as if every tendon in his body were wound too tight. The older of the two stood first, walking up and patting his young friend on the shoulder. "Good to see you home, Iruka-kun," he said quietly, and then waved his hand at Genma who was still seated. "I'm going to take off now."

Genma merely nodded, not moving from his seat at the table. "I missed you," he said simply, spitting out his senbon so that it hit the wall.

Iruka nodded back. "I missed you too." And then they both moved at once, knocking the table out of their way, wrapping strong arms around each other as if to never let go. Their lips met in a kiss so full of longing that Iruka thought his heart would burst, and he didn't pull away until he absolutely had to come up for air. "I'm glad you're here, I spent all evening wondering if you would be out of the village when I got here, and how I would survive it if you were."

Light eyes danced, and Genma grinned. "Silly boy, you'd survive without me a little longer if you had to, I'm not that special."

"You have no idea," said Iruka reverently, laying his head on Genma's shoulder and simply holding on. He didn't know how to explain how he had missed the man, how he had slept alone for longer than a night or two for the first time in over a year and a half, how he had pulled out the good luck token Genma had given him for his birthday a million times and kissed it.

Genma smiled at him again, and whispered. "Don't think I don't know what you mean, Ruka-kun. My house is empty without your laughter, no matter how many friends I invite over. No new photos are taken for the albums, and no new games are invented, no plans are made. I go on missions, collect the gossip, make my reports, hold my parties, but I feel as if perhaps I'm not truly breathing. It's not just that I look at your picture and touch myself, not just that I miss you in my bed, your skin against mine, but that I miss you in my life, your voice, the way your cute little nose crinkles up, your strange mix of innocence and cunning, the way you challenge me at every turn. Don't think I don't know that I'm in love with you, or you with me." He kissed the top of Iruka's head tenderly, rubbing soothingly at Iruka's back as he did so.

Iruka melted then, the tension finally gone, and let himself relax into his lover's arms. "You've never said so before," he said softly.

Genma sighed. "I want everything in the world for you, a perfect life that can't exist, a dream romance that I can't give you. It's not easy to say the words, to admit to a love that is imperfect, to offer up a flawed heart and hope it is accepted."

Iruka's looked up then, his dark eyes sparkling, and on his face he wore that mischievous grin that Genma knew so well. "I warned you quite a while ago that I would steal your heart, you remember."

And suddenly Genma did remember, the day Iruka had started working on the now-intricate network of traps in his home, when Iruka had taken what the boy called his first "real" kiss. So many things had happened since then, so many days of easy friendship, passionate loving, and quiet contentment that Genma thought he had forgotten how it had all started. "I should have heeded your warning then, my sweet Ruka, because it's in your hands now, and I fear there's no getting it back."

And Iruka smiled, and kissed him again, and whispered, "It's okay, Gen-chan, you have mine in exchange, now and forever, in one way or another, always some part of my being that belongs only to you."

Then there were no words, only touch, only breath, only time spinning away into the darkness. The tangible things they would have later to remember this time: the photo albums, the journals, the various tokens exchanged over the years, the traps, the shared secrets, were nothing next to the simple gift of love, which might change form time and again over the years, but not die. Because one must begin simply, however it will end.


End file.
